Korea’s largest conglomerate Samsung Group is expected to conduct its year-end personnel reshuffle starting Monday, a move that is widely expected to have huge repercussions as the Samsung Electronics chairman prepares to delegate more authority to his children.

Much of the scrutiny is on Seo-hyun and Boo-jin, chairman Lee Kun-hee’s two daughters, who reportedly will receive promotions in the upcoming reshuffle, industry sources said.

The sources predicted that Lee’s eldest daughter Boo-jin, currently at the helm of Shilla Hotel, would be given more authority and power with a vice chairman post at Shilla. She was promoted to president in 2010. There is currently no vice chairman position at the hotel.

The sources said the promotion would not be strange considering the fact that her older brother Jay-yong ― Lee’s only son ― became a vice chairman of Samsung Group last year, two years after he became a president of the firm.

Meanwhile, Samsung Everland, the theme park operator serving as the de facto holding company of Samsung, and Cheil Industries are also to complete their reshuffling on Monday after cutting away unnecessary affiliates and focusing on core competence.

The fashion unit under Cheil Industries has been moved under Samsung Everland so that Cheil will now compete centrally on chemicals and materials, mainly to support Samsung Electronics.

The fashion-savvy youngest sibling Seo-hyun is expected to move to Samsung Everland and may also receive a promotion.

“Vice president Lee Seo-hyun, who has been running the fashion business, is expected to head a new fashion business unit under the theme park operator, and could be promoted to president,” an industry source said.

Mobile and appliance chiefs to be rewarded

Samsung Electronics, a core affiliate of the group, also is likely to undergo a reshuffle this week.

Big rewards are expected for high achievers, sources said, while underperformers will be written off.

Shin Jong-kyun and Yoon Boo-keun, who lead the electronics firm’s mobile unit and consumer electronics unit, respectively, are therefore expected to be promoted to vice chairman.

Under the leadership of Shin, Samsung Electronics’ IT and mobile communications business unit posted record-high sales every quarter this year.

He is credited with achieving 10 trillion won ($9.4 billion) in operating profit in the third quarter on the back of strong sales of the Galaxy smartphone lineup.

The smartphone maker took up 32.1 percent of the global smartphone market in the July-September period to become the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.

Yoon, chief of Samsung’s consumer electronics business, is evaluated to have fared well despite a sluggish business environment and challenges posed by low-budget consumer electronics makers from China.

As of the third quarter, the electronics firm maintained its lead in the global TV market for the 31st consecutive quarter.

An industry watcher said that if promoted, the two presidents of the tech giant will have to be involved in a wider array of corporate activities along with those within the business units they run.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)