KT names new head for mobile phone unit

KT Corp. said yesterday it had appointed Nam Joong-soo, 48, now its chief financial officer, as the next president of its mobile subsidiary KTF Co. The firm is the second-largest mobile carrier in Korea and will soon merge with another KT subsidiary set up to offer so-called "third-generation" mobile phone services. KT interviewed 10 applicants for the job last week, a company official said, adding that the final selection was made by a review committee that included company and outside members. A graduate of Seoul National University, Mr. Nam earned a master of business administration degree from Duke University in the United States and a Ph.D in business administration from the University of Massachusetts. Mr. Nam is credited with winning a third generation mobile service license for KT, and spearheaded its share swap deal with SK Telecom, according to the company. KTF and KT ICOM, the latter the firm set up to provide advanced mobile telephone and Internet services, agreed in November to merge their businesses in March. They plan to launch a third-generation mobile service in June. by Kim Hyo-jin