New Samsung CEO to Have Less Clout

BY EVAN RAMSTAD AND JUNG-AH LEE

SEOUL—The man who led Samsung Electronics Co. to the top of the TV and cellphone industries, Choi Gee-sung, stepped down as chief executive officer Thursday and will be succeeded by the head of the company’s component businesses.

The CEO’s power, however, is being diminished as Samsung tries to create more separation—or at least the image of it—between its consumer and component businesses.

Samsung said the leaders of the consumer-product divisions, including TVs and phones, won’t report to the new CEO, Kwon Oh-hyun, who has led Samsung’s chip business since 2008 and took control of its display-components business last year.

Chairman …

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