![]() |
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong |
"Vice Chairman Lee plans to attend the International Consumer Electronics Show (ICES), which will kick off during the first week of January," an official said, asking not to be named.
It will be the first time the de facto Samsung leader has taken part in the fair since 2013.
Lee will be interested in finding new business opportunities, focusing on automotive parts, an official said.
"Vice chairman Lee has good relations with high-profile executives in the technology world," he said. "The CES will give Lee opportunities to strengthen alliances with various tech partners."
Lee is expected to take a low-key approach to the show because he does not want to be in the spotlight, allowing other Samsung executives to proceed with their tasks at the world's most-influential technology exhibition.
Samsung Corporate Strategy Office (SCSO), the group control tower, declined to comment about Lee's planned trip to the show.
On a related note, all senior company executives will unveil new business strategies at meetings during the show.
Yoon Boo-keun, who leads Samsung's appliance business and handles the company's Internet of Things (IoT) strategies, will unveil his division's visions to the Korean media.
TV chief Kim Hyun-seok and mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun will also attend.
Kim Ki-nam, head of Samsung's devices unit, will hold key business meetings during the fair to help the world's biggest memory-chip maker find new and lucrative business opportunities.
Park Jong-hwan, head of the company's newly created auto components unit, is also ready for the fair. Park Dong-geun, CEO at Samsung Display, will go with Samsung SDI CEO Cho Nam-seong and Samsung Electro-Mechanics CEO Lee Yoon-tae.
CES has long been regarded as the venue to unveil "wow" products focusing on consumer electronics. But interest at the fair has shifted toward cars as consumer technology becomes the core thing for Internet-connected vehicles.