Samsung's Jeon Younghyun: "This Is the Last Golden Opportunity"...Executives Convened Ahead of Strike

"Do Not Settle for Achievements," Emphasizing Technological Competitiveness
Reinforcing Internal Discipline Following Chairman Lee Jae-yong
"Management Must Excel" Despite Looming Union Strike

Younghyun Jeon, Vice Chairman and Head of the Device Solutions (DS) division leading Samsung Electronics' semiconductor business, has reinforced internal discipline by stating that "now is not the time to be complacent," despite achieving record-high performance in the first quarter of this year. In particular, amid rising tension inside and outside the company due to the announcement of a general strike triggered by conflicts over performance-based bonuses between labor and management, he reportedly stressed the need to focus all efforts on management activities and maintaining production stability.

According to industry sources on May 15, Vice Chairman Jeon recently emphasized during a management briefing for executives, "Do not settle for current achievements. Consider this boom as the final golden opportunity to restore our fundamental competitiveness." He made it clear that the company should not become intoxicated by the memory market boom, but instead must strengthen overall business profitability and technological competitiveness. This sober assessment appears to reflect the view that external factors, such as market conditions, have played a significant role in the company's rapid performance improvement.

This aligns with the message delivered by Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong earlier this year during executive training, when he stated, "We must not become arrogant just because the numbers have improved a bit," and emphasized, "This is the last chance to regain competitiveness."

At the 57th Samsung Electronics Annual General Meeting held on March 18 at the Suwon Convention Center in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, Younghyun Jeon, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics as well as Head of the Device Solutions (DS) Division, delivered the opening remarks as the chairperson. Photo by Yonhap News Agency joint reporters.

Additionally, Vice Chairman Jeon emphasized the importance of customer trust to the memory business unit, urging, "Always support our customers' businesses with a humble attitude." With big tech companies racing to secure memory semiconductor orders amid the recent artificial intelligence (AI) boom, he proactively cautioned against arrogance or supplier superiority, reinforcing internal discipline.

He also stressed, "Performance is the result created by our customers," highlighting the need to reflect customer feedback in product development while insisting that there should be no compromise on quality, even during periods of strong demand.

Vice Chairman Jeon called on executives to maintain their core management responsibilities and not be swayed by the unsettled atmosphere inside and outside the company. He reportedly told executives, "The company is facing many challenges and is in the spotlight of the market, but management activities must continue, and each business division must excel in carrying out their managerial responsibilities."

His remarks are drawing attention as they come amid the union's announcement of an unprecedented 18-day general strike scheduled from May 21 to June 7. This is interpreted as an intention to minimize internal and external uncertainties by ensuring uninterrupted operation of the semiconductor production lines and maintaining supply stability, even under the extraordinary circumstance of a union-led general strike.

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