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The status of Samsung Group's strategic planning office, which once served as the conglomerate's "control tower", has faded. The office evolved from two predecessors -- first the group secretariat and then the restructuring office. Many ambitious Samsung staffers competed to work there, regarding it as an essential part of their career in the conglomerate.
Top-notch staffers at Samsung subsidiaries were transferred to the strategic planning office where they received privileged treatment in pay and promotions. Many were eventually promoted to CEOs or key executives at subsidiaries. But all such stories have now become history.
After a special counsel inquiry revealed that it played a leading role in the management of massive slush funds under borrowed-name accounts and the underhanded transfer of group control to former chairman Lee Kun-hee's son, the strategic planning office is currently in liquidation until the end of June.
Most of about 100 executives and employees at the office plan to return to their previous offices at Samsung subsidiaries. Whether their previous companies will welcome their return is unclear.
The future of about 60 executives in the office is still cloudy. Samsung Group will conduct a personnel reshuffle for CEOs and executives some time next week, but few from the strategic planning office are expected to be promoted. Vice chairman Lee Hak-soo and president Kim In-joo, both from this office, are expected to resign, following in the footsteps of Lee Kun-hee.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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