KT Group Drives Leadership Reshuffle Ahead of Park Yoonyoung Administration

by Roh Kyungjo

Published 12 Mar.2026 10:26(KST)

KT has initiated a leadership reshuffle by appointing candidates for the next CEOs of its major affiliates ahead of the launch of the Park Yoonyoung administration. This move is interpreted as a focus on internal personnel to stabilize the organization and reduce uncertainty.

Yoonyoung Park, Candidate for CEO of KT. Provided by KT

KT plans to hold its regular general shareholders’ meeting on March 31 and officially appoint Yoonyoung Park as CEO. Park, who joined Korea Telecom as a researcher in 1992, has served as executive vice president, president, and advisor, dedicating over 30 years to KT. There is a broad consensus that there will be no obstacles to his appointment as CEO. When Park was nominated last year, the labor union also expressed its support. It is also expected that the proposal to appoint Hyunjin Park, CEO of KT Milli’s Library, as an inside director will pass without difficulty.

KT Skylife has decided to submit a proposal to appoint Joil, Executive Vice President of Business Planning, as CEO at its regular general shareholders’ meeting on March 26. Jo is recognized as a seasoned business executive in the telecommunications and media sector, with expertise in finance and strategy. He graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Maryland and earned a master’s in finance from the State University of New York. He has also served as head of business planning at key KT affiliates such as Nasmedia and BC Card. KT Skylife stated, “We expect him to contribute to enhancing corporate and shareholder value by establishing a vision and driving management innovation for sustainable growth.”

Cho Il, Executive Vice President of Corporate Planning at KT Skylife. Provided by KT Skylife

Both candidate Park and executive vice president Jo are internal appointments. Given the fatigue caused by previous personal information leaks and suspicions of external parachute appointments, the return of internal personnel familiar with the organization’s culture is viewed in the industry as a positive step for reorganization and regaining trust.

However, the CEO of KT Skylife has typically been someone close to the current administration, and since Jo’s term as CEO is only one year, there is a possibility of an early replacement. The labor union raised objections, criticizing the board-driven selection process for the next CEO at KT Skylife-a listed company-for being conducted behind closed doors without an open recruitment process.

KT Alpha is focusing on securing growth momentum by bringing in Jeongmin Park, former CEO of SK Stoa, to the forefront. Park, who has been nominated as a new inside director, is a veteran with three decades of experience in commerce and platforms. During his tenure at SK Stoa, he led the company to a turnaround, achieving an operating profit of 8 billion won within a year, even in a stagnant market after the COVID-19 pandemic. KT Alpha plans to leverage Park’s experience in AI and data-driven business innovation to introduce a new AI commerce paradigm by combining it with existing assets such as ‘Giftishow.’

Under the new CEO, KT will focus on ‘governance reform’ to restore market confidence. Following the inauguration of the new CEO, it is likely that KT will accelerate not only internal appointments but also organizational restructuring and executive appointments within its subsidiaries. As of June last year, KT had a total of 78 consolidated subsidiaries. The key tasks for KT’s next management team include driving information protection innovations in response to last year’s femtocell hacking incident and strengthening technological competitiveness, particularly in AI.