[New Year's Address] KB Financial Group Chairman Yang Jonghee: "We Must Not Settle for Vested Interests, but Expand Business Boundaries"

Digital Kick-off Ceremony Held on January 2
Chairman Expresses Commitment to "Transformation and Expansion" in New Year's Address
Shift in Financial Paradigm Toward Productive and Inclusive Finance
"Strategic Growth Opportunities Must Be Seized"

Yang Jonghee, Chairman of KB Financial Group. Provided by KB Financial Group

On January 2, Yang Jonghee, Chairman of KB Financial Group, urged executives and employees, "We must not settle for past practices or vested interests, but instead transform our business methods to fit the new environment while simultaneously expanding the boundaries of our business."

That morning, through a digital New Year's address implemented with artificial intelligence (AI) video technology, Chairman Yang stated, "This year's management strategy is centered on transformation and expansion." KB Financial Group held its New Year's kick-off ceremony utilizing AI technology.

Chairman Yang explained, "The great wave of AI will reshape the financial market," adding, "At the same time, the financial industry is also undergoing a paradigm shift at the national and societal level."

He further emphasized, "In addition to fulfilling the essential role of finance by supporting the growth engine of our economy through productive finance, we must also fulfill our mission as a bulwark protecting vulnerable groups in our community through inclusive finance."

In particular, he stressed the need to strengthen 'productive finance' based on professional business feasibility assessments and sophisticated risk management systems, and to transform the corporate finance (IB) business by offering comprehensive asset and liability solutions through advisory- and consultation-focused services. He also called for the establishment of a robust financial consumer protection system that prioritizes consumer rights above all else.

Chairman Yang highlighted the importance of expanding influence over strategic customer segments such as youth, seniors, small and medium-sized enterprises, and high-net-worth individuals, as well as securing customer and business opportunities in the emerging digital asset and AI business markets.

He also emphasized the enhancement of customer trust, stating, "Trust is at the core of finance, and trust comes from competence. We must respond to the trust of customers and the market through corporate management that grows together with the community."

Additionally, Chairman Yang remarked, "Transformation means parting with the familiar, while expansion means embracing the unfamiliar. Let us make this year the most remarkable and meaningful in KB's history."