With the opening of CES 2023, the world’s largest IT and home appliance exhibition, just over a month away, various forecasts are being raised regarding whether or not domestic business leaders will attend CES.
According to the industry on the 3rd, major companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Hyundai Heavy Industries Group have officially announced their participation in CES 2023, which will be held in Las Vegas, USA from January 1 to 5, 8 (local time). In addition, it is known that some affiliates of SK Group and Lotte Group will also participate in this exhibition.
This CES will be held on the largest scale ever since COVID-19. According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes the event, CES 2023 is expected to be 40% larger than last year and become the largest in-person event held in the United States since 2020.
Accordingly, the business community predicts that heads of major domestic companies will visit CES 2023. In particular, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is expected to attend CES as it is his first CES since being promoted to chairman. Chairman Lee made his official debut at CES in January 2007 when he was a managing director at Samsung, and has participated in CES for seven consecutive years until 1. There is speculation that Chairman Lee, who has not visited CES since 2013, may reappear for the first time in nearly 7 years.
Samsung Electronics has decorated the largest booth at CES every year and has unveiled a variety of innovative products and technologies. CES 2023 is also scheduled to operate the largest booth, and it is believed to be a good opportunity for Chairman Lee to personally check the company’s technology and look into the future trends of its competitors.
In addition, Samsung Electronics won a total of 3 CES Innovation Awards, including 46 Best Innovation Awards, ahead of this exhibition. With 18 video displays, 11 mobile devices, 10 home appliances, and 7 semiconductors, it tied the record for the most awards ever with the previous CES 2020. In addition, as Chairman Lee shows great interest in the automotive electronics industry, there are also speculations that he may visit the Mercedes-Benz and BMW booths to plan future mobility business areas.
It is known that SK Chairman Chey Tae-won was the first among the heads of large domestic companies to decide whether to attend. Chairman Choi, who had previously considered attending CES several times but failed each time, is expected to attend this CES for the first time to announce SK’s commitment to carbon-neutral management related to ESG (environment, society, and governance) and to understand global market environmental trends. .
Previously, SK Group won the CES Innovation Award for a total of 5 products, including 2 batteries and materials, 1 AI services, 2 digital-based waste solution, and 10 digital healthcare wearable devices. In particular, SK On’s E556 SF battery and SKIET’s flexible cover window won the Best Innovation Award, and this is the first time in four years that an SK Group affiliate has won the Best Innovation Award since its first participation in CES in 2019.
Accordingly, it is speculated that Chairman Choi is likely to visit the exhibition site, look around innovative products from SK and other global companies, and plan management issues. In addition, there are speculations that Chairman Choi’s visit will be accompanied by his eldest daughter, Choi Yun-jeong, senior manager at SK Biopharmaceuticals. SK Biopharm achieved the feat of becoming the first domestic pharmaceutical company to win an innovation award in the digital health category.
The possibility of LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo attending is also being discussed. Chairman Koo has never attended CES since taking office in 2018, but recently, affiliates including LG Electronics, LG Innotek, and LG Display displayed a large number of products related to the electronics business, which Chairman Koo is supporting as a future growth engine, at CES. It is said that it will be introduced, raising the possibility that Chairman Koo will attend CES for the first time.
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, who was the only head of Korea’s five largest companies to directly participate in CES last year, will not attend this exhibition. This move follows the announcement of major affiliates Hyundai Motors and Kia not participating in CES as they focus on commercializing new technologies. Instead, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group will participate for the second consecutive year. President Jeong Ki-seon, who visited the exhibition site in person last year, plans to attend again this year and introduce the group’s vision.