KT (030200.KS), South Korea's largest fixed-line telecom operator, is set to announce a shortlist of up to four candidates for its next chief executive officer on Thursday, with analysts expecting their artificial intelligence and cybersecurity strategies to determine the outcome.
The company's CEO Recommendation Committee will conduct online interviews with candidates on Thursday and is expected to release the shortlist around 6 p.m., according to industry sources.
Seven candidates are being interviewed: Kim Chul-soo, former president of KT Skylife; Kim Tae-ho, former president of Seoul Metro; Nam Gyu-taek, former president of KT CS and current vice chairman of Zinus Air; Park Yun-young, former head of KT's enterprise division; Lee Hyun-seok, current head of KT's customer division; Joo Hyung-chul, former CEO of SK Communications; and Hong Won-pyo, former CEO of SK Shielders. Lee is the only current KT executive among the candidates, while Joo is the only external candidate.
Kim Tae-ho joined KT's operations technology division in 1986 and served as IT planning director before leaving the company in 2009 as a managing director in the management support office. He later became the first president of Seoul Metro under former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.
Park Yun-young joined Korea Telecom in 1992 and rose through the ranks to become head of KT's enterprise division, building expertise in business-to-business operations and overseas projects in Southeast Asia. He was among the final three candidates when current CEO Kim Young-seop was selected and also competed in the final round when former CEO Koo Hyun-mo was chosen.
Lee Hyun-seok joined KTF's wireless terminal team in 1997 and has built extensive experience in wireless business, earning strong internal support.
Joo Hyung-chul, who came from SK Telecom (017670.KS), served as head of the Gyeonggi Research Institute under Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon and was appointed to the economic policy committee of President-elect Lee Jae-myung's transition team.
Kim Chul-soo is regarded as a telecom expert with sales and marketing experience at both LG Uplus and KT. Nam Gyu-taek planned hit products including Show, Olleh, and Giga Internet during his time at KT. Hong Won-pyo served as head of technology planning and new business at KTF, KT's predecessor, before joining Samsung Electronics and later becoming CEO of Samsung SDS.
The CEO Recommendation Committee initially reviewed 33 candidates through an advisory panel by December 21, narrowing them to 16 before selecting the current seven on January 2. Final interviews for three to four candidates will be held on January 16, with one finalist to be determined the same day. The board of directors will then confirm the final nominee to be recommended at the shareholders' meeting, with the new CEO to be officially appointed at KT's annual general meeting in March 2026.
