Samsung Ends Decade-Long 'Emergency Management'; Launches 'Lee Jae-yong 2.0' Management Support System

The Samsung Group is ending its nearly decade-long “emergency management system” and transitioning to a management support structure centered around Chairman Lee Jae-yong. The elevation of the Business Support Task Force (TF), which had operated as a temporary organization since the dissolution of the Future Strategy Office, to a permanent “Business Support Office,” along with the retirement of Vice Chairman Chung Hyun-ho and the appointment of President Park Hakkyu as the new head of the Business Support Office, signals this shift.

On November 7, Samsung Electronics announced that Vice Chairman Chung Hyun-ho has moved to the role of “Chairman’s Advisor.” Since the dissolution of the Future Strategy Office in 2017, Vice Chairman Chung has led the Business Support TF, overseeing group strategy coordination and support work.

A Samsung Electronics representative stated, “Following the government corruption scandal, there was a need to coordinate among business divisions, so a temporary organization was established. However, as business operations have recently returned to normal, Vice Chairman Chung determined that he had fulfilled his role and expressed his intention to step down.” The representative added, “Although there may be external misconceptions about this being a power organization, he voluntarily stepped aside to foster the next generation of leaders. The position of Chairman’s Advisor is honorary in nature.”

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President Park Hakkyu has been appointed as the new head of the Business Support Office. Park graduated from Cheongju High School, studied business administration at Seoul National University, and earned a master’s degree from KAIST. He previously served in the Financial Team of the Samsung Secretariat and as head of the Management Diagnosis Team in the Future Strategy Office. After being promoted to president in 2020 as head of the Management Support Office in the DS Division, he became Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2022, and since the end of last year, he has led overall semiconductor business support as head of the Business Support TF. Within Samsung, he is regarded as the quintessential “finance and planning expert” and is considered the “post-Chung Hyun-ho” figure, as well as one of Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s closest aides since Lee received management training from the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

With this personnel change, the Business Support TF has been reorganized into the “Business Support Office.” This marks the establishment of a permanent organization and the systematization of coordination functions. The new Business Support Office will consist of three teams: the Strategy Team, the Management Diagnosis Team, and the People Team. Samsung explained, “This transition is intended to establish a responsible management system by converting the temporary TF into a permanent organization. The goal is to ensure organizational stability and continuity.”

Both inside and outside Samsung, this organizational restructuring is seen as a “full-fledged system transition following the end of the emergency management system.” The conversion of the Business Support TF from a temporary operation to the permanent Business Support Office is interpreted as a signal that the group intends to manage internal strategy and coordination among affiliates with greater responsibility.

An industry insider commented, “President Park Hakkyu is highly proficient in finance and strategy, with a precise understanding of the group’s strengths and weaknesses. He is expected to refine the company-wide decision-making system and serve as a stabilizing pilot for the Lee Jae-yong administration.” This personnel change is being interpreted as the starting point for “Lee Jae-yong System 2.0,” aimed at maximizing synergy among affiliates and responding to rapid changes in global industries such as AI, semiconductors, and batteries.

President Choi Yunho, formerly head of the Management Diagnosis Office, will now lead the Strategy Team within the Business Support Office. Vice President Joo Changhoon will head the Management Diagnosis Team, and Vice President Moon Heedong will lead the People Team.

Hakkyu Park, New Head of Business Support Office at Samsung Electronics

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