Samsung CEO dies unexpectedly after admitting company is in trouble

Yonhap news agency quoted an internal source as saying that Vice Chairman and Co-CEO of Samsung Electronics Han Jong-hee suffered a heart attack on March 22 and died while being treated at the hospital.

On March 25, a Samsung spokesperson also confirmed the news of Han Jong-hee's departure.

According to Chosun Biz , Mr. Han Jong-hee suffered a cardiac arrest after his daughter's wedding on March 22. He was taken to Samsung Medical Center in Seoul for emergency treatment due to a heart attack, but did not survive.

Mr. Han Jong-hee was scheduled to speak at Samsung's biggest home appliance event this year on March 26, but on March 24, Samsung announced that it would change the schedule to someone else.

Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics Han Jong-hee. Photo: Yonhap

"We pray for the soul of the deceased, who contributed 37 years to the company. He led the TV division to become the world's number one, and did his best as the head of the TV and home electronics division, even when facing many difficulties" - Chosun Biz quoted an internal announcement of Samsung Electronics.

Mr. Han Jong-hee's funeral will be held on March 27.

According to Yonhap , Mr. Han Jong-hee, born in 1962, is considered an expert in the television industry. Under his leadership, Samsung has maintained its position as the world's number 1 television brand for 19 consecutive years.

After earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Inha University (Korea), Mr. Han Jong-hee joined Samsung's TV development team in 1988. He played a key role in developing the group's display technology.

He leads the device experience division, overseeing the TV, home appliances and smartphone businesses. In 2021, he was promoted to vice chairman and CEO. The other CEO is Jun Young-hyun, who is in charge of the group's chip division.

The sudden departure of Mr. Han Jong-hee took place in the context of Samsung facing many difficulties and challenges such as declining market share, fierce competition...

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Last week, Han Jong-hee chaired Samsung’s annual shareholder meeting, where he and other executives were criticized by shareholders for failing to ride the wave of artificial intelligence (AI) development, making Samsung one of the worst-performing tech stocks in 2024.

Mr. Han Jong-hee pledged that the company will pursue "meaningful achievements" in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals in 2025 to restore growth.

In that context, Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong sent a message to the group's senior leaders. "Samsung is facing a problem of survival. We need to deeply reflect on ourselves from the top. We must invest in the future, even if it means sacrificing short-term profits," Chairman Lee Jae-yong emphasized.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ceo-samsung-bat-ngo-qua-doi-sau-khi-thua-nhan-cong-ty-gap-kho-khan-196250325101938083.htm