KT Strengthens AI Competitiveness by Establishing 'Technology Innovation Division'... Reduces Executives by 20%

Reflecting CEO Kim Young-seop's Will... Accelerating Innovation
Organizational Renewal to Strengthen Core ICT Technologies
Personnel Reshuffle Focused on Expertise and Competence Implemented

Seungpil Oh, Head of Technology Innovation Division (Vice President) at KT

KT is strengthening its core technological capabilities, including artificial intelligence (AI), by establishing a new 'Technology Innovation Division' through organizational restructuring. Vice President Oh Seung-pil (pictured), who has experience at Yahoo and Microsoft, has been recruited as the head of the Technology Innovation Division.

On the 30th, KT announced that it will implement organizational restructuring and executive appointments for 2024. This organizational and personnel overhaul reflects the digital innovation commitment of KT CEO Kim Young-seop, who prioritizes expertise and capabilities.

First, KT aims to accelerate growth in the business-to-business (B2B) market by enhancing technological capabilities such as AI. To innovate the entire technology development process from research to service implementation, KT has integrated the existing IT division and the Convergence Technology Institute (R&D) to establish the Technology Innovation Division.

Vice President Oh Seung-pil has been appointed as the head (CTO) of the Technology Innovation Division. Oh is an IT expert with experience at Yahoo, Microsoft, and Hyundai Card/Commercial. He is expected to play a pivotal role in establishing KT Group’s IT and AI governance system.

Additionally, under the Technology Innovation Division, KT has established the 'KT Consulting Group,' a team of experts with outstanding capabilities in cloud, AI, and IT fields. This group will ensure high-quality task execution and compete with expertise in the B2B market.

Jung Woo-jin has been recruited as the head of the KT Consulting Group. Jung is a digital cloud technology consulting expert with experience at Samsung SDS, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services. He will lead the technical consulting organization in cloud, AI, and IT fields within KT Group.

Following the recent commercialization of the super-large AI 'Mideum,' KT is accelerating digital innovation by strengthening its R&D organization to establish AI governance. In addition to the existing AI2XLab, KT plans to create an AI Tech Lab to further enhance its core technological competitiveness in the AI field.

Hyun-kyu Lim, Executive Vice President, KT Management Support Division

Vice President Lim Hyun-kyu (pictured), who has a background as a professor of journalism and broadcasting and expertise in the media field, has been recruited as the head of the Management Support Division. Lim is an expert in external communication and is expected to contribute to the advancement of KT’s management support and the establishment of effective communication strategies with various stakeholders.

Vice President Lee Yong-bok, a former prosecutor and lawyer at the law firm Dae-ryuk Aju, has been recruited as the head of the Legal Office. Lee graduated from the Judicial Research and Training Institute as the 18th class and served as a prosecutor from 1992 to 2008. Since then, he has handled various civil and criminal cases as a lawyer.

KT is addressing previously controversial judicial risks and working to improve its corporate image. External experts have been recruited as heads of the legal, ethics (audit), and management support departments, and the group’s management and judicial risk management and coordination functions are being strengthened. The head of the ethics department will be announced later.

To enable customer-oriented and swift decision-making, KT is reducing the number of executives at the senior manager level and above by 20%. The number of executives at senior manager level and above has been cut from 98 to 80, and senior managers have been significantly reduced from 312 to 264.

In particular, KT has abolished the previous practice where key positions in KT Group companies were used as a stepping stone for the retirement of KT executives. Personnel appointments will prioritize expertise and capabilities that can create synergy from the KT Group perspective.

KT CEO Kim Young-seop stated, "This organizational restructuring and executive appointment will be a starting point for KT to leap forward as a digital innovation partner," adding, "We will make every effort together with KT Group employees to be recognized by our customers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.