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LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivers a 2026 New Year Address to employees worldwide on December 22

Business

LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivers a 2026 New Year Address to employees worldwide on December 22
Business

Business

LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivers a 2026 New Year Address to employees worldwide on December 22

2025-12-22 21:00 Last Updated At:21:15

  • "We find ourselves at an inflection point – It's time to leap towards bold new innovations."
  • SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivered his annual New Year's greetings via video email to LG employees worldwide on the 22nd.

    LG has been delivering the New Year's address at the end of the year, not the beginning, since the 2022 New Year's address, so that members can calmly conclude the year and prepare for the new one.

    LG employees viewed the New Year's message through an email titled <Hello, this is Kwang Mo Koo)>.

    Beginning his New Year's address, Chairman Koo said, "It's been a year of meaningful endeavors for change, guided by our unwavering commitment to our customers.

    I would like to thank each and every one of you."

    • "We Find Ourselves at an Inflection Point Where a New Future Is Unfolding ... It's Time to Leap Towards Bold New Innovations"

    SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivered his annual New Year's greetings via video email to LG employees worldwide on the 22nd.

    LG has been delivering the New Year's address at the end of the year, not the beginning, since the 2022 New Year's address, so that members can calmly conclude the year and prepare for the new one.

    LG employees viewed the New Year's message through an email titled <Hello, this is Kwang Mo Koo)>.

    Beginning his New Year's address, Chairman Koo said, "It's been a year of meaningful endeavors for change, guided by our unwavering commitment to our customers.

    I would like to thank each and every one of you."

    Chairman Koo emphasized that LG is at an inflection point and it's time to leap towards bold new innovations that go beyond the existing strategies for success.

    Koo observed, "We are envisioning a future that only LG can create, turning that vision into reality, and moving forward, one step at a time. Yet even as we press ahead, the world around us is changing faster than ever … The rules of technology and competition are changing, and our customers' expectations are higher than ever." He added: "It's time to leap towards bold new innovations."

    He continued, "Our innovation must go beyond improving today's way of living. It should be about creating essential values for our future customers. To achieve this, we must hone the way we think and work. Let's begin by prioritizing and focusing." 

    "First, we must find one core value that resonates strongly with our customers. It takes courage to let go of ten ordinary strengths and choose one core value that really matters – but that's how we set clear directions for our innovation and pull together."

    "Once identified, let that be the uncompromising goal we push ourselves toward – to a level that others consider impossible. Such relentless focus will create an experience our customers will find 'truly different' and deliver exceptional value that raises the bar."

    Chairman Koo emphasized, "Today we find ourselves at an inflection point where a new future is unfolding. Shaping that future is both our responsibility and opportunity. So let's prioritize what will bring smiles to our customers ten years from now,

    and focus our actions today to make them a reality. I believe that's the kind of innovation LG does best."

    • Global Experts Shared Their Perspectives on Shifts in Technology Paradigm, Competition, Customers, and Organizations.

    The New Year's address also included comments from three external experts who observed shifts in technology paradigm, competition, customers and organizations.


    George Westerman, a Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management, said, "Technologies like generative AI can be considered a general-purpose technology innovation. And when these technologies happen, it's not possible to predict the level of change, but it is possible to predict that the change will be very, very large. If you think about what electricity did to society, if you think about what the internet did to society, we can expect that kind of change happening in work and in life over time."

    <Change in Competition>
    Sunil Gupta, a Professor at Harvard Business School, said, "Every company, whether it's a startup, a tech giant or a large established company, they're beginning to realize that the foundationals of their business strategy are evolving and changing. And as a result, whether you have large capital or resources, the traditional approaches or the old approaches are no longer working and the time frame for them is getting shorter and shorter. So you have to think about breakthrough ways and new approaches to survive and thrive in this new world."


    Miyoung Jeon, CEO of Trend Korea Company, explained, "Consumers now expect far higher standards of experience. They're no longer comparing just price or quality – they're looking for products that offer real value and meaning. Which is why now a brand can survive only if it can justify its prices through distinctive, compelling customer experiences."


    George Westerman said, "This is a challenge when we have a radical change like AI is going to introduce. Because the large, successful organizations need to learn to change faster. Your competitors will be changing faster. Your customer expectations will be changing faster. Your investor demands will be changing faster. And large organizations need to develop that capability to change faster than you do now."

    • Beginning with the 2019 New Year's address that emphasized 'Customer' as LG's core direction, the message of customer value management has been consistently developed and refined in subsequent New Year's addresses.

    Since his 2019 New Year's message, where he placed an emphasis on "prioritizing customers as a future direction of LG," Chairman Koo has consistently refined his message of customer value management through annual addresses.

    In 2019, he defined three unique customer values for LG: "transforming customer's lives with satisfaction," "being ahead of others," and "continuously creating value." In 2020, he called for a focus on identifying customer pain points as the starting point for realizing customer value. In 2021, he emphasized the importance of deeply understanding and empathizing with customers through micro-segmentation. In 2022, he proposed creating valuable experiences that customers would not want to live without.

    In 2023, he asked each member to search for customer value they could create, inspiring employees to take the lead in value creation and prioritizing customer satisfaction. In 2024, he urged staff to commit themselves to creating distinguished customer value to position LG as the market-leading customer experience innovator. In 2025, he stressed providing essential and expectation-exceeding values to future customers with LG's 'DNA of challenge and change' that has continued since its founding day.

    About LG

    Founded in 1947, LG is a technology innovator and global leader in consumer electronics, automotive components, ESS, and organic light-emitting displays (OLEDs). LG Corporation (LG Corp.) is the holding company for industry-leading LG subsidiaries, such as LG Electronics, LG Display, LG Energy Solution, and LG Chem, to name a few. For more information about the LG group of companies, visit lgcorp.com 

    ** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

    LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivers a 2026 New Year Address to employees worldwide on December 22

    LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivers a 2026 New Year Address to employees worldwide on December 22

    LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivers a 2026 New Year Address to employees worldwide on December 22

    LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivers a 2026 New Year Address to employees worldwide on December 22

SHANGHAI, April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Orka, a pioneer in hearing health technology, officially launched the Orka O1 Pro at the 2026 Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE). The Orka O1 Pro is the world's first Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aid to feature Powered by Bose QuietControl Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology.

The launch took place at the Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone during AWE 2026's inaugural international showcase. As a new gateway designed to support global exchange and cross-border collaboration, the Eastern Hub provided a fitting stage for Orka's global debut. Orka was the only hearing health company featured alongside leading technology brands including Sony, LG, and Lenovo, a placement that reflects the international ambition of the Orka × Bose partnership and Orka's broader mission to bring hearing health into the mainstream of global consumer technology innovation.

Bringing Premium Audio Innovations to Hearing Health

As recently noted by Hearing Tracker, while Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is familiar to millions of consumers from premium headphones, the Orka O1 Pro answers the highly anticipated question of its future in hearing aids.

The device achieves this through the seamless integration of two powerhouse features, heavily supported by Bose's decade of research. First, Bose QuietControl ANC technology acts as the foundation, effectively neutralizing steady-state environmental noises before they reach the ear. Working in perfect tandem, Bose SpeechClarity Voice technology precisely isolates and enhances human speech, ensuring that once the background noise is silenced, essential conversations remain crystal clear.

This collaboration brings powerful, premium audio experiences to users without the battery and processing tradeoffs typically associated with such features, helping make the O1 Pro a true all-day wearable device.

A Milestone in Hearing Health

"For years, we've been focused on the real-world challenges of hearing loss, especially how background noise can make conversations more difficult," said Nicholas Smith, President of the Audio Technology Business and Chief Strategy Officer at Bose. "We saw the potential for our noise cancellation technology to improve this experience, and we knew we needed a partner capable of bringing this kind of breakthrough to the hearing industry. That's why we partnered with Orka."

Smith further emphasized the impact: "Orka integrated our core technology into a complete hearing aid experience engineered for reliable performance in real-world environments. The result is clearer conversations and less effort required to hear — so people can stay in the conversation and stay connected."

Restoring Control and Energy

The Orka O1 Pro hardware is designed for maximum comfort and durability. Weighing just 3.5g per earpiece, it features Bluetooth 5.3 dual-mode connectivity, IP68 durability, and provides over 35 hours of continuous battery life.

In Icelandic, "Orka" translates to "energy." The core philosophy behind the Orka O1 Pro is to significantly reduce the cognitive load and energy drain required to focus in noisy environments. By lowering the effort required to hear, the device returns a sense of control and confidence to the user.

About Orka

Founded in Silicon Valley in 2018, Orka is a premium audiology technology company developing AI-driven products for the future of hearing and wearable listening. Backed by top-tier investors including Tencent, HongShan (formerly Sequoia Capital China), Primavera Capital, and Atypical Ventures, Orka integrates advanced acoustic hardware with proprietary on-device AI to create beautifully designed, all-day wearables. Recognized globally by the CES Innovation and Red Dot Design Awards, the company's mission is rooted in its Icelandic name, meaning "energy": to significantly reduce the cognitive load required to hear in noise, returning a sense of control and confidence to every user.

For more information about Orka and the O1 Pro, please email contact@hiorka.com.

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology

Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology

Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology

Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology

Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology

Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology

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