KB Financial cans incumbent chairman to tap deputy as new leader

KB Financial Group selected Vice Chairman Lee Jae-keun as its next chairman for a three-year term, surprising a market that had widely expected incumbent Chairman Yang Jong-hee to secure another term. Lee was selected over Yang and former Woori Bank CEO Kwon Kwang-seok. His appointment is due to be finalized at a shareholders meeting on Nov. 20, when Yang's current term expires. "The group selected Lee to lead a bold transformation and generational shift as it seeks to strengthen its core competitiveness and secure new growth engines beyond its current strong performance," the group's chairman recommendation committee said in a statement. At Friday's meeting, the committee conducted two-hour in-depth interviews with each of the three shortlisted candidates. They were assessed on five criteria: professional experience and expertise, leadership, morality, alignment with the group's vision and values, and commitment to sound management over the short and long term. The committee then held a final vote. The leadership change comes as financial authorities pursue governance reforms aimed at c