LINE Founder Jungho Shin Appointed Co-CEO

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 2 April 2019 - LINE Corporation announced today that Jungho Shin, the Chief WOW Officer (CWO) of LINE Corporation, has also been appointed Co-CEO of the company. Taking effect April 1, the decision was made during the company's board meeting today. As a result, LINE will have two representative directors: Takeshi Idezawa, the CEO and President, and Jungho Shin, the Co-CEO and Chief WOW Officer.

Shin's new appointment as Co-CEO comes as the company moves towards its next stage of development. Uncompromising in his service-driven mindset and the pursuit of "wow," Shin has been behind the creation of countless services--including the globally popular LINE messaging app--and has spearheaded the company's growth internationally.

As a representative director, Shin will now focus on bolstering the competitiveness of LINE's services and promoting innovation--assuming clear responsibility for creating groundbreaking services and the company's operations. CEO and President Takeshi Idezawa will focus on the management side, as well as revenue, organizational structure, human resources, and recruitment, to create the best possible environment for the LINE Group.

By having Idezawa and Shin commit to their respective areas of expertise under this new structure, the aim is to strengthen and enhance LINE's management structure, enable nimbler decision-making, and deliver world-class services that will accelerate LINE's growth, both in Asia and globally.

LINE began its "second growth phase" this year, moving into new business domains such as FinTech, AI, and blockchain. In February, the company appointed Shin as "Chief WOW Officer", committing more than ever to pursuing a service-driven mindset and "WOW"-inducing services. "Service-Driven" describes LINE's founding philosophy, which maintains that service competitiveness capable of eclipsing the competition is essential for a business to grow. "WOW" is a word that sums up the company's core value of delivering an unprecedented user experience, something that is truly newsworthy.

For more information on Shin's appointment as CWO in February: https://linecorp.com/en/pr/news/en/2019/2625

1. New representative director structure (as of April 1)

Takeshi Idezawa, CEO and President 

Jungho Shin, Co-CEO and Chief WOW Officer (currently CWO)

2. Representative director profile

Jungho Shin

Co-CEO and Chief WOW Officer of LINE Corporation

Born February 25, 1972

Professional background

July 1999            Joined OZ Technology Inc.

April 2002          Joined Neowiz Games Corporation

June 2005           Joined 1noon Co. Ltd. (now NAVER Corporation)

July 2008           Appointed General Manager of Corporate Planning Department at Naver Japan Corporation           (now LINE Corporation)

January 2012     Appointed Director of LINE Corporation

March 2013       Appointed Representative Director of LINE Plus Corporation (current)

April 2014         Appointed Director and Chief Global Officer (CGO) of LINE Corporation

April 2018         Appointed Director and Chief Service Officer (CSO) of LINE Corporation

February 2019   Appointed Chief WOW Officer (CWO) of LINE Corporation (current)

About LINE Corporation

Based in Japan, LINE Corporation (NYSE:LN/TSE:3938) is dedicated to the mission of "Closing the Distance," bringing together information, services and people. The LINE messaging app launched in June 2011 and since then has grown into a diverse, global ecosystem that includes AI technology, Fintech and more.