Meteoric rise owed to merit system

Since December 2009, Shin Jong-kyun has been handling the telecommunications division at Samsung Electronics.

He was born on Jan. 16, 1956 and earned a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from Kwangwoon University in Seoul.

The executive has over 20 years of experience in handset development and Shin, along with current Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung, has significantly helped Samsung Electronics rise to become the second-biggest handset manufacturer after Nokia.

With the successful launch of the Samsung Galaxy S and recent update the Galaxy S II under Shin’s reign, Samsung has emerged as the sole contender to break Apple’s lead in the global smartphone market.

Shin, also in charge of Samsung’s network business division, was given the task of handling Samsung’s camera unit in a recent rare mid-year reshuffle, resulting in the executive boosting his influence within the top Samsung community.