Samsung's Lee to Host New Year Meeting with Executives After Chip Recovery

Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) Chairman Jay Y. Lee will convene presidents of all Samsung Group affiliates for a dinner meeting in early 2026 to discuss business strategies for the new year.

According to industry sources on Sunday, Lee plans to hold the "New Year Presidents' Dinner" at Samsung's Seocho headquarters in Seoul, gathering top executives from Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Samsung Display.

Attendees will include Jun Young-hyun, vice chairman and head of Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions (DS) division; Roh Tae-moon, president and head of the Device eXperience (DX) division; Choi Joo-sun, president of Samsung SDI; Jang Deok-hyun, president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics; and Lee Chung, president of Samsung Display.

The meeting is expected to take place before CES 2026, the world's largest consumer electronics show, which opens on January 6 (local time).

Until 2014, Samsung held its New Year Presidents' Dinner to coincide with the birthday of late Chairman Lee Kun-hee on January 9. After the late chairman became bedridden, the gathering was replaced in 2015-2016 by a "New Executive Dinner" held in mid-January, where presidents attended alongside Jay Y. Lee, then vice chairman, to encourage newly promoted executives.

Subsequently, the group stopped gathering all presidents together, instead holding separate meetings by business sector—electronics, financial services, and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). The full New Year Presidents' Dinner resumed in 2023 after Lee was appointed chairman in October 2022.

The dinner typically includes viewing videos featuring the late chairman's key remarks and management strategies, followed by discussions between the chairman and affiliate presidents on market trends and technology leadership.

With concerns over a "Samsung crisis" raised since early this year now somewhat eased following the recovery of the semiconductor business, attention is focused on what message Lee will deliver at the upcoming meeting. Industry observers expect the chairman to emphasize maintaining vigilance and committing fully to improving technological capabilities.