Samsung appointed a new mobile president at Samsung Electronics for the first time in six years after growth stalled at the world's largest smartphone maker. The Samsung Group conglomerate said yesterday that Koh Dongjin was promoted to president. He will replace Shin Jong-kyun as the head of the mobile business at its flagship company Samsung Electronics starting next year. The change was announced as part of annual management reshuffle at South Korea's top conglomerate.

Samsung Electronics' smartphone sales lead has been dwindling in the face of competition from Apple Inc. in the premium market and Chinese companies in cheaper devices. The management change comes as Lee Jae-yong, the only son of ailing Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, takes a bigger role in Samsung after his father suffered a heart attack in May last year.

Shin will step away from day-to-day operations and focus on long-term strategies. He keeps his title of CEO of the IT and mobile division that encompasses phone, network and computer businesses. Koh, an engineer, was an executive vice president who led mobile research and development for the past year.