It is reported that Kangwon Land CEO Kim Do-gyun will carry out his first large-scale innovative personnel reshuffle since taking office as early as the 23rd, drawing attention to the scope and direction of the organizational reform.
In particular, while internal promotions for the three division heads—Casino, Resort, and Tourism Marketing—are considered likely, it is reported that an open recruitment system will be introduced for some departments, signaling a shift from existing personnel practices.
According to Tatata Journal on the 22nd, CEO Kim is scheduled to preside over a meeting with 15 division heads and 2 center heads at 9:30 AM on the 23rd.
At this meeting, the company is expected to review organizational innovation directions and key management issues, and potentially announce follow-up personnel policies, including the internal promotion of division heads.
While there is speculation that the reshuffle could be announced around the time of the meeting, the specific targets, scale, and exact timing have not been officially confirmed.
CEO Kim, who took office on September 2nd, began full-scale organizational reform by forming the Organizational Diagnosis and Innovation TF on September 22nd, consisting of 8 members including team leader Kim Dae-jung.
Currently, Kangwon Land operates under a structure consisting of the CEO, Vice CEO, 4 divisions, 15 departments, 59 teams, and 2 centers.
The Organizational Diagnosis and Innovation TF is currently preparing reform measures for overall operations, including reviewing the functions of divisions, departments, and teams, adjusting overlapping tasks, improving organizational efficiency, and reallocating personnel.
As CEO Kim emphasized boosting employee morale, innovating customer service, strengthening casino competitiveness, and regional coexistence upon taking office, attention is focused on whether the reshuffle will favor internal talent with field experience and expertise.
With the Casino, Resort, and Tourism Marketing sectors being the core businesses of Kangwon Land, internal promotions for these three division heads are expected to positively impact employee morale and organizational stability.
The open recruitment system being pursued for some departments is also interpreted as a move to strengthen expertise and establish a merit-based personnel culture.
However, some point out that to realize the intent of internal promotions and open recruitment, fair and transparent selection criteria and objective evaluation of expertise must be supported.
Whether this reshuffle will lead to substantial management innovation is also a point of interest.
In the casino sector, key tasks include resolving recurring inconveniences such as entry procedures, gaming environments, and customer convenience facilities, as well as strengthening sales competitiveness.
For the resort sector, urgent issues include hotel and condo renovations and facility upgrades, while the marketing sector is focused on attracting new customers and improving customer satisfaction.
Building a smart casino, innovating customer service using Artificial Intelligence (AI), and improving casino regulations are also being discussed as mid-to-long-term tasks.
Efforts are also accelerating regarding regional coexistence policies.
At the 235th Board of Directors meeting held on the 30th of last month, Kangwon Land decided to contribute 3.7 billion KRW to support the relocation and growth of companies in coal industry transition regions, and 1.066 billion KRW for employee welfare and ESG management support for partner companies.
Meanwhile, while the separate open recruitment process for the Head of Management Support began last month, considering the appointment schedule, it is expected that the new head will take office as early as the end of this year or early next year.
With organizational diagnosis and regional coexistence projects being pushed forward since CEO Kim's inauguration, this reshuffle is expected to be the first test bed to gauge the future direction of management innovation.
In particular, with the upcoming opening of the Osaka Integrated Resort (IR) in Japan in 2030, there is an urgent need to strengthen competitiveness, and attention is focused on whether the promotion of internal talent and organizational reform will lead to improved customer service and tangible management results.
