In the call for applications for KT's next chief executive officer (CEO), which closed on the 16th, it was confirmed that among current executives only Lee Hyun-seok, head of the Customer Division (vice president), applied alone. In addition, former KT executives who applied for the CEO post include former President Park Yoon-young; former Vice President Nam Gyu-taek (now vice chairman of ZINUS Air); Kim Tae-ho, former president of the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation and former head of KT's IT Planning Office (senior managing director); and Hong Won-pyo, former SK shieldus CEO (former KT executive director).
◇ Customer division head responsible for 70% of KT revenue
The only current executive in this call, Vice President Lee oversees the Customer Division, which accounts for about 70% of KT's revenue. The Customer Division is a large organization that oversees B2C (business-to-consumer transaction) operations, with the AX Innovation Support Division, Marketing Innovation Division, Sales Channel Department, and Small Business Division under it. It has more than 2,000 employees and is considered the largest organization within KT. In June, it surpassed 10 million high-speed internet subscribers.
In the telecommunications industry, Vice President Lee is known as the key figure who made the first iPhone launch in Korea happen. In 2008, Lee visited Apple's U.S. headquarters to sign a contract to launch the iPhone domestically and led efforts to resolve various regulatory issues. As a result, in 2009 KT was able to launch the iPhone (the 3GS model) ahead of the other two major telecoms. Lee, who joined KTF in 1997, went through the Wireless Handset Team and served as head of the Handset Strategy Team, handling the device business and marketing. Right after the 2009 merger of KT and KTF, Lee was recognized for the iPhone launch and, in 2015, was appointed head of the Device Division, overseeing KT's device business and marketing strategy.
In 2021, Lee served as head of the South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong regional headquarters, gaining experience in local sales. A KT employee said, "While respecting each employee's autonomous judgment, Lee is evaluated as a performance-oriented leader who drives projects with strong execution."
◇ Former KT executives Park Yoon-young, Nam Gyu-taek, Kim Tae-ho, and Hong Won-pyo throw their hats in the ring
Former KT President Park Yoon-young, who competed with former President Koo Hyun-mo until the last minute in 2020, is also considered a strong contender. Park, who led the "Corporate Division" created by integrating the corporate business and global business divisions, is known to have strong expertise in B2B (business-to-business) operations, unlike Vice President Lee. Park is highly regarded for experience in securing new growth engines in the corporate market—such as smart factories, autonomous driving, and smart hospitals—based on telecommunications infrastructure. Within KT, Park was known as a leader who quietly delivered results with a calm charisma.
Former KT Vice President Nam Gyu-taek, famous as a marketing and brand strategy expert, also applied in this CEO search. Nam was involved in planning KT's representative hit products such as "Show," "Olleh," and "Giga Internet," and has experience serving as CEO at KTcs and KT Media Hub.
Kim Tae-ho, former head of KT's IT Planning Office and former president of the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, and Hong Won-pyo, former SK shieldus CEO who served as an executive director at KT, are also cited as candidates to lead KT as CEO. Kim is regarded as a "planning generalist" with broad experience across planning, management, and innovation. With experience both inside a telecom operator and in managing a public transportation infrastructure agency, Kim is assessed to have a broad perspective on telecommunications infrastructure and transportation platforms. Hong, who served as head of the Mobile Internet Business Division (executive director) at KT, moved to Samsung Electronics in 2007 and went on to lead Samsung SDS and SK shieldus. Hong is credited with leading cloud, AI, and big data strategy at Samsung SDS.
A telecommunications industry official said, "When bringing in an outsider, it takes at least a year for the new CEO to get a handle on KT, and after working about a year, the remaining year before the term ends tends to fall into a lame-duck period, which has repeated," adding, "Within KT, a consensus has formed that the next CEO should be an insider, not an external hire."