LX Semicon names Na Jun-ho as CEO to pivot into auto chips

LX Semicon named Vice President Na Jun-ho as its incoming chief executive on Nov. 3, 2026, initiating a leadership change to accelerate automotive microcontroller and heat-dissipating substrate businesses.

The fabless semiconductor designer posted an operating loss of 15.564 billion won ($11.3 million) for the third quarter of 2026, according to preliminary earnings figures submitted to financial regulators.

Third-quarter revenue reached 336.02 billion won ($243 million), marking the first quarterly operating deficit for LX Semicon since its shares listed on the Korea Exchange, the regulatory report said.

Na, 57, has directed the strategic marketing division since 2024, supervising sales, procurement and supply-chain operations across both legacy display chips and newer automotive component lines.

The board of directors approved the executive slate during a scheduled meeting on Nov. 3, 2026, advancing an engineer with 32 years of industry experience to top management.

Kang Moon-seok, a principal researcher leading core technology development, received a promotion to the board as an internal director, the corporate announcement said.

Current Chief Executive Yoon-Tae Lee, 66, will step down from front-line management after heading the chip design firm for roughly three years, the company said.

Lee joined LX Semicon as chief executive in late 2023 following a leadership tenure at electronic component manufacturer Samsung Electro-Mechanics, taking formal board leadership in March 2024.

Na began his career at LG Semicon in 1994 before joining Silicon Works, the predecessor entity to LX Semicon, in 2001, the corporate announcement said.

Na previously directed display driver integrated circuit engineering, guided large-panel display development teams and managed the commercial TV and personal computer semiconductor product divisions, the company said.

Silicon Works spun out under LX Group and adopted the LX Semicon corporate identity in 2021, maintaining commercial ties with primary panel customer LG Display.

LX Semicon generates the vast majority of its revenue from display driver chips, leaving corporate earnings heavily exposed to production cycles at display panel makers.

The company recorded 1.639 trillion won in annual revenue and 108.9 billion won in operating profit in 2025, falling 12.1% and 34.8% from the previous year.

First-half revenue in 2026 contracted 7.6% from a year earlier to 789.9 billion won, while first-half operating profit dropped 39.1% to 42.6 billion won, company filings show.

The company is expanding automotive microcontrollers to diversify beyond flat-panel displays. Microcontrollers are compact computing units that execute motor control, window operation and cabin electronics in passenger vehicles.

LX Semicon initiated commercial production of the LX61101 microcontroller for Hyundai Motor and Kia, marking the design firm's first domestic automotive motor control silicon deployment.

The corporate restructuring also targets heat-dissipating substrates, which transfer thermal energy away from high-voltage electric vehicle electronics and industrial power modules, the company said.

LX Semicon produces metalized ceramic substrates, which bond conductive metal layers onto ceramic plates to withstand elevated operating temperatures inside vehicle power conversion units.

The fabless firm supplies display driver circuits alongside touch controllers, power management chips and gate driver units for consumer electronics and automotive cockpits, company product records show.

LX Semicon operates without proprietary wafer fabrication facilities, contracting semiconductor manufacturing to external foundries while managing circuit design, testing and specialized substrate packaging internally.

Na directed commercialization roadmaps and customer engagement for both microcontrollers and thermal substrate products after taking charge of strategic marketing in 2024, the company said.

The appointment consolidates technical design experience with customer procurement operations as automakers demand specialized silicon architectures and verified thermal reliability standards, according to company officials.

Na will formally assume the chief executive post following ratification at the annual general shareholders meeting and a subsequent board vote scheduled for early 2027.

The board announcement did not disclose production volume targets or commercial shipment dates for the substrate lines, and LX Semicon has not registered a formal chief executive change filing on DART pending the shareholder vote.