By Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin
SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics appointed on Tuesday its mobile chief Roh Tae-moon as acting head of the company's consumer and mobiles business, following the death of his predecessor, Han Jong-Hee, a week ago.
"Samsung Electronics plans to minimize the leadership vacuum in the DX Division through this executive reshuffle, and make every effort to strengthen global competitiveness and ensure thorough preparation for the future," Samsung said in a statement.
Roh, 56, has been in charge of the company's mobile business since 2020. Samsung said in March that Roh has been "spearheading new smartphone markets" with AI phones and foldable phones, as growth is slowing and competition is intensifying.
Roh will oversee the so-called DX division, which includes TVs, home appliances and smartphone businesses.
The death of Han, 63, who was in charge of its consumer electronics and mobile devices division, left newly appointed boss Jun Young-hyun solely in charge of the South Korean tech giant as it revamps its underperforming chip business and navigates rising competition and trade uncertainties.
Samsung said the company's board of directors will decide on a new CEO later, and a spokesperson said that "nothing has been decided whether or not to keep the previous co-CEO structure at the moment."
(Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Louise Heavens and Sonali Paul)
