INTER VI E W W I T H K I YO U N G Y U N, P R E S I D E N T O F S AMS UNG EL EC TR O NICS CZECH A ND S LO VA K
ZOOMERS search for meaningful INNOVATION Text: Martina Hošková and M. Zisso; Photo: Archive
Being one of Samsung’s top managers means still being a Korean at heart, but with the company’s enormous growth and global ambitions, it also means being a real world citizen. Introducing Ki Young Yun, President of Samsung Electronics Czech and Slovak. The distinguished 48-year-old professional has worked in the Czech Republic for more than two years, and he recently sat down with us to talk about his 20 years of experience in various world markets. How are young people in our country similar to those in Korea? Why is meaningfulness the greatest value for them? And what are the biggest innovations that our pockets, kitchens, and living rooms can look forward to?
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Samsung is a real giant in consumer electronics, but times are changing fast. Is there a danger that you could miss an important trend? We constantly focus our efforts on understanding and connecting with younger generations and those setting the new trends. As a company, we also invest heavily in R&D in order to lead the changes in consumer electronics. Rather than missing trends, we are the ones that drive them forward. So, what are the trends? What do zoomers and millennials long for? Recent reports by several global market researchers indicate that especially younger generations are more likely to be belief-driven buyers. This means that they make purchase decisions based on brands that they believe improve society. They also prefer a personalized experience that provides meaning and purpose. At Samsung, creating a one-of-a-kind customer value and customized experience is one of our top priorities. What do meaningful consumer electronics look like today? Above all, they should be sustainable. We all want fewer batteries and unnecessary chargers in our drawers. We want products made from recycled or recyclable materials, and we want to help reduce the energy consumption of household appliances. Another trend is customization, where we want things tailored to us and our needs. The third thing is interconnectivity. For example, people want their cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and TVs to connect seamlessly and
effortlessly. In other words, it means giving users a holistic experience that is customized and connected across every product touchpoint, delivering meaningful and high-value experiences that enrich users’ lives. You talked about Samsung as a keen innovator. What innovations can we look forward to in the near future? You know, it’s quite difficult to pinpoint one particular area of innovation. Samsung sells 500 million devices a year. That’s half a billion mobile phones, tablets, wearables, TVs, monitors, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and so on. We have ground-breaking solutions in virtually every product segment. But I’d like to emphasize that the biggest innovation awaiting us will be in the way that all these devices interconnect. We can look forward to a much more immersive ecosystem, a truly multi-device experience. At Samsung, we also research and develop various robots that can help consumers in their daily lives. We look forward to announcing exciting new experiences to our customers in the near future. However, if you still had to choose a specific innovation, a product with the greatest potential to change our lives? Let me give you a few examples of Samsung’s product innovations that have already changed consumers’ lives. For smartphones, we were the first to introduce foldable phones to the market at full scale, and now we have the third generation with Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3, which
