Samsung CEO Han Jong-hee: The man who left, the challenge he left behind...

On March 25, 2025, news of the sudden passing of Han Jong-hee , Vice Chairman and Co-CEO of Samsung Electronics, shocked the global technology world. At the age of 63, while still leading the largest electronics corporation in Korea through the challenges of the industry, Samsung CEO Han Jong-hee suddenly passed away due to cardiac arrest.

Samsung CEO Han Jong-hee at the CES 2025 event in Las Vegas in January. Photo: Bloomberg.

With nearly 40 years of dedication, Han Jong-hee not only helped Samsung dominate the world TV market but also steered the consumer electronics and mobile devices sector through many periods of fierce competition.

Han Jong-hee is the head of the DX (Device eXperience) division - one of the two most important business segments of Samsung Electronics - and a key figure in leading the group's home appliance (DA) division. He plays a decisive role in Samsung's technological innovation strategies, especially in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors that are reshaping the industry.

The man who laid the foundation for the Samsung TV empire

Han Jong-hee was born in 1962 and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Inha University before joining Samsung Electronics in 1988. He started his career in the research and development (R&D) department, where he quickly demonstrated his talent in developing display technology.

During his career, he laid the foundation for LCD, LED and QLED product lines, helping Samsung surpass Sony and LG to become the world's number one TV manufacturer. Under Han's leadership, Samsung has maintained its leading position in the global TV market for 19 consecutive years.

One of his key achievements was the advancement of QLED display technology, which helped Samsung become a pioneer in the premium TV segment. He once shared: “We are not just making TVs, we are building the future of the visual experience.”

The innovations he led not only helped Samsung dominate sales, but also shaped the way people interact with screens – from TVs to mobile devices and consumer electronics.

Samsung CEO's mark and the challenges left behind

In 2022, Han Jong-hee was appointed Vice Chairman and Co-CEO, responsible for overseeing the entire Device eXperience (DX) business, which includes TVs, mobile devices, and home appliances. This was a challenging period as Samsung faced fierce competition from Apple, Sony, and Chinese companies such as Xiaomi and Huawei.

Under his leadership, Samsung began to integrate AI into its products, with the vision of “AI for All: Everyday, Everywhere”. He emphasized that AI is not just a trend, but the future of Samsung, helping to optimize the user experience on every device. Products such as the Galaxy S24 series with the “Galaxy AI” feature are a testament to his pioneering work in this field.

Han Jong-hee is a key figure in Samsung's technological innovation strategies. Photo: Photo: Yonhap.

He is also the one who proposed the “bold growth” strategy by 2024 with the aim of helping Samsung overcome the economic crisis and competition from Chinese rivals in the smartphone and consumer electronics market.

One of the biggest challenges Han faces, however, is the semiconductor race. In recent years, Samsung has been overtaken by SK Hynix and TSMC in the AI ​​chip space, sending its stock price plunging. Han acknowledged the difficulty at a shareholder meeting on March 19, 2025:

“First of all, I sincerely apologize for the recent stock performance that did not meet your expectations. Over the past year, our company has not responded appropriately to the rapid development of the AI ​​semiconductor market.”

Faced with such difficulties, he pledged to step up mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to regain competitive advantage. “There are some difficulties in implementing M&A deals in the semiconductor sector due to regulatory issues and different national interests, but we are determined to achieve concrete results this year,” he pledged.

Under his leadership, Samsung also considered expanding its stock-based bonus system for employees to encourage innovation and improve corporate value.

According to the newly released annual report, Samsung's market share in the DRAM memory chip segment has dropped from 42.2% to 41.5%. Its smartphone market share has dropped from 19.7% to 18.3%. The smartphone panel manufacturing sector has recorded the sharpest decline, from 50% to just 41.3%. Samsung's TV market share has dropped from 30.1% to 28.3%.

Samsung CEO emphasized that Samsung is facing an existential crisis, which means either change to survive, or accept failure. In a video message, Chairman Lee affirmed: "Samsung is facing an extremely important challenge. This is a matter of survival, we need to reevaluate ourselves and make changes to survive. Despite the difficulties, we must look to the future, even if that means accepting to sacrifice short-term profits."

At the 56th annual shareholders’ meeting held on March 19, Mr. Han expressed his determination in Samsung’s long-term development strategy. He emphasized: “We will lay the foundation for breakthrough growth in our current businesses with outstanding technological leadership, while continuing to challenge ourselves in new areas such as robotics, medtech, and next-generation semiconductors to create new growth drivers in the AI ​​era.”

On the morning of March 25, 2025, Mr. Han Jong-hee was taken to the hospital due to cardiac arrest and did not survive. His departure left a huge void in Samsung's leadership, especially when the group was entering an important transition period with AI and automotive electronics.

The sudden death of CEO Han Jong-hee is a huge loss for Samsung, as his successor will face many difficulties. In this context, Samsung needs to quickly make strong strategic decisions to recover and restore its leading position.

Samsung Electronics announced the passing of Han Jong-hee internally, expressing its condolences: “We pray for the soul of the person who devoted 37 years to the company to rest in peace. The deceased led Samsung’s TV business to the global No. 1 position and made every effort even in the face of internal difficulties and external challenges.”

This is a loss not only for Samsung, but for the entire global technology industry. Mr. Han Jong-hee will be remembered as a steadfast, strategic and innovative leader who helped shape Samsung Electronics into one of the world's greatest technology companies.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/ceo-samsung-han-jong-hee-nguoi-ra-di-thach-thuc-de-lai-post266257.html