Um Joo-sung, CEO of Kiwoom Securities, set strengthening IT competitiveness and expanding its business around wealth management (WM) as key tasks.

In a New Year message on Thursday, Um said, "With record-high results expected last year, we built a foundation for future growth by obtaining approval to issue short-term notes." He added, "2026 will be a year to take another leap based on this."

He said the company will further strengthen its IT competitiveness, an existing strength. "Kiwoom Securities' start and growth have always been with IT competitiveness," he said. "We must secure competitiveness across artificial intelligence (AI), data, system stability, information security and overall service architecture."

He also said the company will raise the pace of decision-making and service innovation. "Speed is competitiveness itself and the core of differentiation," Um said. "The company will support the necessary resources and will boldly improve systems."

Um stressed a leap in wealth management from a brokerage-focused business. "As we expand to the retirement pension business, we have put in place a product base needed for managing clients' assets," he said. "Let this be the first year we evolve into a company that manages clients' asset flows together and helps increase their assets."

He also presented stable growth through earnings diversification as a key task. The company plans to develop the short-term note issuance and retirement pension businesses as new growth pillars, and to strengthen expertise and execution capabilities in its investment banking (IB) and S&T (sales and trading) divisions.

Um also stressed that the firm will make financial consumer protection and customer information protection the top values in all decision-making. He also said it will faithfully fulfill securities firms' social responsibilities through the supply of venture capital and productive finance.