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Samsung marks fifth anniversary of late Chairman Lee Kun-hee's passing

Published: 24 Oct. 2025, 16:56 Updated: 24 Oct. 2025, 17:46

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong is seen attending a memorial ceremony to mark the fifth anniversary of the passing of former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee at the Samsung family’s burial site in Imok-dong, Suwon, Gyeonggi on Oct. 24. [YONHAP]

A memorial ceremony took place on Friday to mark the fifth anniversary of the passing of former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, which falls on Saturday, honoring the man credited with transforming Samsung into a global powerhouse.

The ceremony took place on Friday morning at the Samsung family’s burial site in Imok-dong, Suwon, Gyeonggi.

Direct family members, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Leeum Museum of Art Honorary Director Hong Ra-hee, Hotel Shilla President and CEO Lee Boo-jin and Samsung C&T President Lee Seo-hyun, attended the service. The tribute involved no formal procedures — just floral offerings and silent bows in remembrance.

Ahead of the family, around 50 current executives, including Samsung Electronics vice chairpersons Jun Young-hyun, head of the DS division, and Chung Hyun-ho, head of the Business Support Task Force, paid their respects.

They were joined by Samsung Heavy Industries CEO Choi Sung-an, Samsung C&T CEO Oh Se-chul, Samsung Life Insurance CEO Hong Won-hak and Samsung SDI CEO Choi Joo-sun.

After the memorial, Lee Jae-yong and the executives moved to the Samsung Human Resources Development Center in Yongin for a luncheon. In the afternoon, some 100 former executives also visited the site to pay tribute.

The event comes just days ahead of Lee Jae-yong’s third anniversary as executive chairman, which falls on Monday. Samsung Electronics will also mark its corporate founding day on Nov. 1. No special events are scheduled, with the focus remaining on remembrance.

Hotel Shilla President and CEO Lee Boo-jin is seen attending a memorial ceremony to mark the fifth anniversary of the passing of former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee at the Samsung family’s burial site in Imok-dong, Suwon, Gyeonggi on Oct. 24. [NEWS1]

For three days starting Thursday, all internal Samsung systems will display a tribute message with a photo of the late chairman: “A visionary ahead of his time, lighting our path forward. Thank you, Chairman Lee Kun-hee.”

The anniversary has renewed attention on the “KH legacy” — a term that reflects Lee Kun-hee’s lifelong contributions. In his honor, the family donated some 23,000 pieces of art and cultural heritage and pledged 1 trillion won ($696 million) to support pediatric cancer and rare disease treatment, as well as infectious disease research.

Lee Kun-hee succeeded his father, Samsung founder Lee Byung-chull, as the group’s second chairman in 1987. He is best remembered for his 1993 “New Management” declaration — encapsulated in the now-famous message, “Change everything but your wife and children” — which propelled Samsung onto the global stage.

He passed away in October 2020 after six years of illness following a heart attack in 2014.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM KI-HWAN [[email protected]]