President Yi Eun-baek of Samchully America.

The Samchully Group announced the promotion of Yi Eun-baek, vice president of Samchully America to president.

Yi Eun-baek is the eldest son of Samchully founder and former chairman Yi Jang-kyun.

Industry analysts say that Yi was promoted to president to expand the group’s U.S. business and begin the full-fledged management by the third generation of the owner family. The ultimate aim is laying the groundwork to grow into a global company.

In late 2019, the Samchully Group executed a large-scale executive shakeup and reorganization, with a focus on establishing a future business headquarters and appointing key new executives.

Yi Eun-baek is a nephew of Yi Man-deuk, honorary chairman of the Samchully Group, but is the eldest son of the group founder.

Yi Chun-deuk, the father of the president, passed away in 1987, and his younger brother, Yi Man-deuk, has run the group.

Honorary Chairman Yi has three daughters and none of the daughters have a stake in the Samchully Group.

In particular, many industry experts say that the promotion of Yi Eun-baek to new president was made to expand the group’s business in the United States.

Yi’s transfer to the Samchully headquarters for the Americas showed the group’s will to do so. Samchully currently operates Robatawa, a Japanese restaurant, and owns Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Anaheim, California.

Samchully is a city gas supplier that posted 3,458.1 billion won in sales in 2019. However, due to the nature of the city gas business, the company records a small margin and faces limitations in expanding its growth.

In 2014, it established S Power, an LNG-based private power plant by collaborating with Korea South-East Power, but this power plant has been in deficit for the third consecutive year in 2019.

This personnel reshuffle was significant in that the Samchully Group was promoting its US business under these circumstances.

Samchully starts a commercial operation of Yongin Everland CNG Charging Station at the site of Everland's second parking lot in Yongin on April 20. (Photos: Samchully group)

In the meantime, Samchully built and began to run Yongin Everland CNG Charging Station on the site of the second parking lot in Yongin Everland on April 20.

Yongin Everland CNG Charging Station can put CNG into all types of vehicles, from passenger cars to large buses. The station has two 250-horsepower compressors and two chargers so it can charge 150 buses a day. 

Everland is a popular tourist destination in the southern part of Gyeonggi Province, surrounding Seoul. Despite the fact that tourists flock to Everland from all around the country, it has not been able to meet CNG vehicles’ demand for CNG due to a lack of charging stations.

In particular, Yongin Everland Charging Station will be upgraded to a general convergence energy charging station with the addition of hydrogen and electric charging stations in phases.

In August of last year, Samchully, the Yongin City government, Samsung C&T and Hynet signed a mutual cooperation agreement for a new energy project.

Under the agreement, Samchully will set up electric vehicle charging stations in the site and actively support and operate hydrogen convergence charging station infrastructure through its know-how in building abd operating CNG charging stations.

An electric vehicle charging station is expected to be completed this Juy and the hydrogen charging station in the second half of this year.

Samchully aims to grow into a company trusted by people by expanding the supply of eco-friendly energy to the transportation sector and actively contribute to improving the air environment.