Samsung has named a new head of its smartphone business as it continues to struggle to stay ahead of the game.
JK Shin has been in charge of Samsung’s mobile division since 2009, and has seen the company through its most successful period. However, Samsung’s smartphone earnings have taken a sustained dive since last year, as it has found itself squeezed by Apple at the top of the market and various Chinese manufacturers at the bottom.
While Shin will technically remain in charge of Samsung’s mobile communications business, he will step back from the day to day running of it to focus on long term strategy and new business.
Into the role of president of Samsung’s mobile business steps 54-year-old Dongjin Koh, who up until now has headed up the company’s mobile R&D department. Koh apparently played an important role in developing the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5 – two phones that performed well critically, but disappointed commercially.
Related: Best smartphones 2015
According to Reuters, Koh has a very similar engineering background to Shin, which could mean that Samsung will continue along its hardware-focused path. As anyone who has used one of Samsung’s 2015 flagship phones will tell you, it’s software that continues to be the company’s biggest weakness.
The report describes this shuffle as the biggest leadership change under Jay Y. Lee, who has taken effective control of Samsung since his father Lee Kun-hee experienced a heart attack last year.
Next, see how the Galaxy S6 Edge+ compares to its smaller brother:
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
