Han Jong-Hee, co-director of Samsung Electronics and nearly four-year veteran of South Korean consumer technology giant, passed away on Tuesday.
According to a company spokesman, Han, 63, suffered a sudden heart attack.
Since 2022, Han has shared the Chief Executive Officer and CEO of Samsung’s semiconductor business, and more recently Jun Young Hyun. Jun was named Samsung Electronics’ sole CEO on Tuesday after Han’s death, the company said: Announcement.
Han has been running Samsung’s home appliance business since 2021, and added the operation of a digital appliance to his brief a year later. He was also a member of the board. Previously, he oversaw a group that created visual displays for various Samsung electronic devices.
Han graduated from Inha University in Incheon, South Korea and earned a degree in electrical engineering. He joined Samsung in 1988 at a pivotal time in the company’s history, shortly after the death of its founder, Lee Byungchul.
Lee’s son and successor dominated the market for thin displays and mobile phones, pushing Samsung mercilessly through the technological changes of the 1990s and 2000s.
Samsung is the largest and most successful conglomerate known as Choi Bol, which transformed South Korea’s economy into a global export powerhouse. Samsung Electronics is a significant part of it of the country’s exports. Samsung is one of the most popular brands in the global smartphone market, competing with Apple and Xiaomi. It is also the world’s largest manufacturer of memory chips used in everything from electric vehicles and smartwatches to advanced artificial intelligence servers.
Han was survived by his wife and three children, the company said. The funeral will be held on Thursday at the funeral home of Samsung Seoul Hospital, a spokeswoman said.
Source: www.nytimes.com