LG Display CEO to win top industry award
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LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom
By Yoon Sung-won
LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom was named winner of this year’s top award for his contribution to the nation’s display industry, the company said Thursday.
The company said that Han will receive the prize, dubbed the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, at the 51st Trade Day award ceremony on Friday, for playing a key role in fostering the nation’s display industry as the world’s best.
“As a person who works in the display industry, I feel it greatly rewarding because the nation, which started as a late mover in the liquid crystal display (LCD) industry, has grown into a global leader,” Han said. “I will do my utmost to contribute to the nation to remain as a display powerhouse.”
The award is the top prize among the Order of Industrial Service Merit’s five grades. It is given to industrial figures regarded as significant contributors to the nation’s industry growth.
The CEO has worked in the display and semiconductor industries for the last 33 years and has experience in product and device development, manufacturing processes as well as sales and marketing.
Han had worked at LG Semicon, LG’s semiconductor manufacturing affiliate which was acquired by Hyundai Electronics in 1999 and then became SK hynix. He moved to LG Display’s manufacturing technology center in 2001 and led the localization of key LCD parts, which used to be imported.
From 2010, he headed the company’s television business division and directed a project called “Film-type Patterned Retarder 3D,” which is used for 3D televisions. The project helped persuade major television makers in the global market, including those in China, and help 3D television to become popular, the company said.
Han was appointed as the CEO of LG Display in 2012. Under his leadership, the company has achieved surpluses for 10 consecutive quarters, from the second quarter of 2012 to the third quarter this year.
LG Display revealed that it has posted 6.55 trillion won sales in the third quarter while its operating profit stood at 474.1 billion won, up 191 percent from last year’s 163.1 billion won.
Its global market share in the ultra high-definition panel segment was 28.1 percent in October, jumping into the top for the first time. The company has remained on the top perch in the large LCD panel segment for 20 consecutive quarters.
The company said the CEO has ordered to invest more than 3 trillion won ($2.69 billion) in expanding infrastructure, employing talented research and development human resources who can work for the next generation of display technologies and products.
As a result of such investments, LG Display succeeded in the mass production of world’s first large organic light-emitting display (OLED) panels for televisions in 2012, and developed curved-type OLEDs in 2013, flexible and transparent displays in 2014 as well as a round-type plastic OLED used for smartwatches.
“We have worked to improve technological competence in our key markets, such as the OLED, and will work to record good results next year,” said an LG Display spokesman.