KB Financial Group's next chairman nominee Lee Jae-keun said the group's leadership should be measured by its ability to create new industry standards, not simply retain South Korea's top spot. KB posted a record 3.8846 trillion won in first-half net profit, up 13.1% from a year earlier, while its share price also reached a record high. Lee said KB must build new growth engines around artificial intelligence, digital transformation and the shift of money toward capital markets. The group has approved two rights offerings for KB Securities totaling 1.7 trillion won, and the brokerage's contribution to group profit rose to 21% in the first half. Lee also pledged to expand productive and inclusive finance, supplying 110 trillion won through 2030, and to preserve continuity in management and strategy while promoting decentralized, system-based governance.