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Samsung heir Lee Jee-ho assigned to naval mine unit as interpretation officer

Published: 11 Jan. 2026, 14:03 Updated: 11 Jan. 2026, 16:22

Navy Ensign Lee Jee-ho attends the 139th Naval Academy Officer Candidate Commissioning Ceremony at the Republic of Korea Naval Academy in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 28, 2025. [NEWS1]

Lee Jee-ho, a Navy officer and the eldest son of Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, has been assigned to the Navy’s Mine-Amphibious Flotilla Five as an interpretation officer, according to the Navy on Sunday.

The unit operates as a key flotilla directly under the Republic of Korea Fleet Command. The Republic of Korea is the official name for South Korea.

In his role, Lee will provide interpretation between commanders during joint operations with foreign forces and translate various intelligence-related documents.

Lee enlisted as an officer candidate in September 2025 and was commissioned at the Republic of Korea Naval Academy on Dec. 1. He is scheduled to complete his service on Nov. 30, 2028.

The officer service period in Korea is 39 months across all branches, compared to 18 months for Army enlistees, 20 months in the Navy and 21 months in the Air Force.

Lee was born in the United States in 2000 and held dual citizenship. He renounced his U.S. citizenship to fulfill his military duty before entering the Navy as an officer. Dual citizens cannot serve as officers in the Korean military because of security regulations.

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 HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]