As South Korean companies gear up for their annual executive reshuffle, all eyes are on LG Electronics’ Managing Director, Dan Lim, amid pending harassment allegations scheduled to be heard in the Federal Court.

Sources indicate LG Group is preparing to announce leadership changes by the end of November, driven by external uncertainties and a need to address falling TV sales and declining profits across multiple divisions.

Lim second from right, seen with South Korean Interns that its claimed are working full time at LG Electronics Australian operation for an “off the books” payment of only $1,000 a month.

Samsung Electronics, meanwhile, traditionally announces executive changes in early December, but insiders say the company has accelerated its timeline to late November. Some industry observers suggest announcements could come even sooner.

Dan Lim became Managing Director of LG Australia in February 2020, succeeding Youngik Lee, who retired after five years in the role. Lim previously served as Vice President of LG’s Vacuum Cleaner Business Division at the company’s headquarters in South Korea.

During Lim’s tenure in Australia, LG management faced accusations from its New Zealand operations of ordering the destruction of documents amid a government investigation into TV price-fixing with Harvey Norman. While the Commerce Commission investigation ultimately concluded without penalties, Lim’s direct report pleaded guilty to a criminal offence for destroying documentation, raising questions about the conduct of LG Australia’s leadership team.

Lim now faces separate harassment claims in Federal Court brought by LG Australia’s former Human Resources Director, who alleges he unduly bullied and harassed her while performing her duties. She also claims that LG’s Korean management discriminates against Australian staff in favor of Korean employees.

Amanda Jackson, who joined the Australian subsidiary in 2010, says Lim often conducted meetings in Korean and created an exclusionary work environment that hindered her ability to do her job. One meeting addressing an “unauthorized employment reference” issued to support a visa application was reportedly shut down by Lim.

LG has not commented on whether Lim will need to remain in Australia for the court case or if he will be reassigned within the company. The pace of South Korean executive reshuffles has been accelerated in part due to ongoing trade tensions with the US, a key market for both LG and Samsung.

Samsung is also under scrutiny, particularly regarding whether it will reinstate a centralized “control tower” similar to the now-defunct Future Strategy Office, disbanded in 2017. Lee Chan-hee, chair of Samsung’s compliance committee, recently said, “To strengthen the group’s competitiveness, Samsung’s control tower must be rebuilt.”

Roh Tae-moon, acting head of Samsung’s Device Experience Division, is widely expected to be promoted to vice chairman. Executives in Samsung’s semiconductor division—including Vice Chairman and Co-CEO Jun Young-hyun, CTO Song Jae-kyuk, and President Han Jin-man—are expected to retain their positions as the chip business recovers.

The renewed US focus was underscored last week at an unprecedented “golf summit” at Mar-a-Lago, bringing together Samsung’s Lee Jae-yong and former President Donald Trump.