Samsung CEOs briefed on autonomous vehicles

Myoungho Sunwoo, a professor at Hanyang University's Automotive Engineering department, has visited Samsung's headquarters in Seoul to lecture on the future of autonomous vehicle technology in front of around 50 of Samsung's chief executives.

Samsung Electronics announced the formation of its automotive component division late last year, which will focus on supplying its electronics components to future cars.

It will likely work together with affiliates Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDI, and Samsung Display, the three main companies that supply electronic components.

The firm already supplies its batteries to global brands such as BMW, and is planning to expand supplies in sensors and semiconductors, though no specific supply deal has been announced as of yet on other solutions besides batteries.

Professor Sunwoo became a fellow of SAE International in 2011, previously called the Society of Automotive Engineers, a US-based global professional and standard organisation focused on the aerospace, automotive and vehicle industry -- the first Korean to do so.

He is part of multiple long-term research projects in South Korea, including those with local automobile brands Hyundai and Kia under the Hyundai Motor Group, the fifth largest shipper of cars worldwide.

The South Korean tech conglomerate once manufactured automobiles in the 1990s but sold the business during the Asian Financial Crisis due to its near-bankruptcy.

"It was a good opportunity to learn about smart cars," Jung Yoo-sung, CEO of Samsung SDS, the conglomerate's IT solutions provider, told reporters after the lecture.

"Green regulation is getting stronger daily in the automobile industry. Green cars are becoming more and more important," said Park Sang-jin, President of Samsung Electronics' corporate relations division.