Samsung founding family in rare appearance as Lee's son joins Navy
Founding family members of the Samsung Group gathered on Friday to witness the commissioning of Lee Ji-ho, the eldest son of Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong, as a Navy officer following his completion of an 11-week officer candidate course.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by Chair Lee, his mother, Hong Ra-hee, the honorary director of Samsung’s Leeum Museum of Art, and his sister Lee Seo-hyun, the president of Samsung C&T.
Lee Ji-ho’s mother and Chair Lee’s ex-wife, Lim Se-ryung, was also in attendance.
Lee served as the flag representative for the 139th class of officer candidates, a role the Navy says is given to those who show exemplary conduct by cooperating closely with fellow trainees and actively participating in drills.
The 139th class consists of 84 candidates, including Lee.
Born in the US in 2000, Lee held dual citizenship, which he renounced to enlist and serve in the Navy.
Lee’s decision to enlist has been viewed as significant, given how uncommon it is for members of the Samsung family to complete military service.
Chair Lee’s eldest son is expected to serve for a total of 39 months, including 36 months of mandatory duty after three months of training. The officer service period in South 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 Jung-joo
The Korea Herald
Asia News Network
