KT shortlists four former, current presidents for CEO spot

Four former and incumbent presidents of KT were shortlisted as candidates for the CEO position of the telecom company on Tuesday, after a committee recommended them out of 34 initial candidates.

The board will assess the capabilities of the four members: Yun Kyoung-lim, president of the Group Transformation division; Shin Soo-jung, senior executive vice president of the Enterprise Business; Park Yoon-young, a former president; and Lim Hun-mun, also a former president.

The board directors will focus on skill sets related to digital transformation and management that aligns with environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) when they interview the finalized candidates next week.

The selection process reopened earlier this week after current CEO Ku Hyeon-mo withdrew his name from consideration by the board for the CEO position.

Ku was initially selected as the final candidate for the CEO post, first on Dec. 16 and again on Dec. 28, after the candidacy was reopened at Ku’s request citing “a major shareholder’s concern about the governance structure of companies with dispersed ownership,” according to KT.

The National Pension Service (NPS), the largest shareholder of KT, voiced opposition to the telecom company’s decision to select Ku as the final and only candidate for the post in December.

In the ongoing process, the board consulted outside advisors consisting of college professors and released a full list of candidates from the beginning phase.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]