Journalist

Kim Na-yoon
  • Samsung weighs new control tower as leadership reshuffle nears
    Samsung weighs new 'control tower' as leadership reshuffle nears SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is considering reestablishing a central management body to coordinate its sprawling business divisions, as the conglomerate prepares for a major executive reshuffle next month. The move comes as Chairman Lee Jae-yong marks his third year at the helm with the company riding a resurgent semiconductor boom. Industry sources say Samsung plans to accelerate both its annual personnel reshuffle and a broader organizational restructuring. At the center of speculation is the possible revival of a corporate “control tower,” a strategic management hub that Samsung has lacked since it dismantled its powerful Future Strategy Office in 2016 amid a high-profile political scandal. Since then, the conglomerate has operated with smaller task forces dedicated to business support and financial competitiveness but without a central coordinating structure. Pressure to restore such a unit has grown in recent months. Lee Chan-hee, head of Samsung’s compliance committee, recently underscored the need for “responsible and unified management” through a more formalized control system — a comment interpreted by observers as an endorsement of the idea. Attention is also turning to Samsung’s semiconductor division, the company’s primary profit driver, as it seeks to capitalize on soaring demand for advanced memory chips. Vice Chairman Jeon Young-hyun is expected to retain oversight of the semiconductor unit, while the company’s HBM4 research and development team, established last year, is set to expand. Samsung is also reportedly reallocating DRAM developers from its foundry and system semiconductor teams to reinforce its leadership in high-performance memory. In the device experience (DX) division, Roh Tae-moon — who has been serving in an acting capacity — is widely expected to be formally appointed as division head. If confirmed, he is likely to hand off his responsibilities in the mobile experience business to a successor. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-10-21 13:53:18
  • Samsung invests in US biotech firm specialized in early cancer detection
    Samsung invests in US biotech firm specialized in early cancer detection SEOUL, October 17 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and Samsung C&T will jointly invest $110 million in Grail, a U.S. biotechnology company specializing in early cancer detection, as the South Korean conglomerate expands its footprint in digital health care, the firms said Friday. Grail, a subsidiary of Illumina, has developed technology that detects cancer-related DNA fragments in blood samples and uses artificial intelligence to predict both the presence and likely location of cancer. Its flagship product, Galleri, can identify more than 50 types of cancer through a single blood test. Since its launch in 2021, the company has performed more than 400,000 tests worldwide. Under the partnership, Samsung Electronics plans to integrate Grail’s data with its Samsung Health platform to enhance personalized health monitoring and preventive care services. Samsung C&T, the group’s trading and construction arm, will exclusively distribute the Galleri test in South Korea and collaborate with Grail to expand access in Singapore and Japan. “This investment and partnership aim to improve health through technology, offering personalized digital health experiences,” said Park Heon-soo, head of Samsung Electronics’ digital health team. The move underscores Samsung’s growing ambitions in the health technology sector, as the company looks to pair its consumer electronics and data platforms with advances in medical diagnostics. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-10-17 10:04:45
  • Samsung Electronics will receive $250 million grant from Texas
    Samsung Electronics will receive $250 million grant from Texas SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics will receive a $250 million grant from the state of Texas to support its semiconductor expansion, Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday (local time). The funds, allocated from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund, are separate from the $4.7 billion in federal aid Samsung secured last year under the CHIPS Act. The new grant was announced after Abbott met with Kyung Kye-hyun, Samsung’s vice chairman, in Austin on Sept. 17. Abbott praised Samsung for its $40 billion investment in the state, which he said has created thousands of high-paying jobs and cemented Texas as a hub for semiconductor manufacturing. The award is tied to Samsung’s $4.73 billion capital investment in its chip fabrication facility in Taylor, northeast of Austin. The plant, scheduled for completion by year’s end, will manufacture cutting-edge 2-nanometer semiconductors for applications in 5G, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Samsung said production of its AI6 chips — part of a $23 billion supply agreement with Tesla — will begin at the Taylor site in late 2026. The grant highlights Texas’s active role in courting semiconductor investment, setting it apart from federal-level initiatives. Abbott visited Samsung’s massive Pyeongtaek campus in South Korea in July 2024 and previously awarded $27 million in state funds for the Taylor fab in 2021. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-09-18 15:39:50