Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited a research laboratory for sixth-generation mobile technology on Wednesday, marking his first public schedule this year, the company said.

Lee made the visit to the laboratory Samsung Research in Seoul and discussed technological progress of 6G telecoms and prospects over their international standard, Samsung said in a statement.

During the visit, Lee emphasized the need to secure core 6G technologies, saying that “our survival and future depend on securing new technologies,” according to the statement.

In the statement, Samsung expected 6G mobile technology to be commercialized in around 2030.

The visit came a day after Samsung predicted that its operating profit for the fourth quarter of last year would tumble 35 percent on-year, hurt by persistently weak demand for its mainstay semiconductor division.

Samsung, the world’s biggest maker of memory chips and smartphones, estimated its fourth-quarter operating profit at 2.8 trillion won (US$2.1 billion
), compared with a profit of 4.3 trillion won for the same period of 2022.

Lee is currently on trial over the 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates and alleged accounting fraud at Samsung Biologics, a pharmaceutical unit. The merger and fraud are widely seen as key steps to strengthen his grip on the group.

He must attend the trial, which is held once or twice a week, unless there are special circumstances.

Source: Yonhap News Agency