Portrait of Samsung's talented "captain" who suddenly passed away

Career with Samsung since graduation

According to Reuters , a Samsung spokesperson confirmed by phone that CEO Han Jong-hee passed away on the morning of March 25.

Han Jong-hee was born on March 15, 1962 in Seoul, South Korea. From a young age, he showed a passion for science and technology.

Han Jong-hee studied Electrical Engineering at Inha University, one of the most prestigious engineering schools in Korea.

His passion for technology and academic background laid the foundation for a long and committed career with Samsung Electronics. Han Jong-hee joined Samsung Electronics right after graduating from university in 1988.

During his early years at Samsung, Han Jong-hee held a variety of roles, but focused primarily on research and development of new technologies. His high level of expertise and understanding of technology helped Han Jong-hee advance through the ranks and assume leadership positions in various business units at Samsung.

Han Jong-hee's entire career has been associated with Samsung, from a young engineer rising to become the company's CEO and Vice President (Photo: RT).

In 2013, Han became Head of Research and Development of Display Business Unit.

During this time, he played an important role in the development and improvement of display technology, contributing to Samsung's dominance in the global display market, including TV screens, smartphones, smart billboards, etc.

In 2017, Han Jong-hee was promoted to Head of the Display Business at Samsung Electronics. Under Han's leadership, Samsung maintained its leading position in the TV display market and introduced new display technologies such as curved screens, foldable screens, etc.

In 2021, Han Jong-hee will continue to take on the role of Head of Digital Transformation at Samsung, playing a role in developing and promoting digital transformation initiatives at the company to integrate new technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G... into Samsung's products and services.

Just one year later, Han was promoted to Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics. His duties include outlining and overseeing the company's strategic direction and leading innovation across business units.

Han Jong-hee also serves as Head of Digital Home Appliances Business Unit, where he plays a key role in developing smart home appliances.

Throughout his career, Han Jong-hee has been associated with Samsung Electronics and participated in many important projects at Samsung, from developing new generation display technologies as well as contributing to digital transformation, improving smart features on Samsung products...

Han Jong-hee's vision helps Samsung rise to the top

Han Jong-hee is considered a visionary leader, helping Samsung Electronics have the right development strategy in the mobile and smart consumer electronics market.

Han Jong-hee is considered to have played an important role in Samsung's rise to the top position in the global TV market, as he emphasized the development of display technologies for application in the company's products.

The technology world also highly values ​​Han Jong-hee for his ability to anticipate user needs and create products to meet those needs. He always attaches importance to applying technology to solve problems in daily life.

Han Jong-hee played a key role in bringing Samsung to the top of the TV market, surpassing heavyweights such as Sony and LG (Photo: Instagram).

Under his leadership, Samsung has surpassed famous names such as Sony (Japan) and LG (Korea) to maintain the throne in the global TV market since 2006 - an unprecedented dominance in the consumer electronics industry.

Competing with two strong rivals like Sony and LG, Mr. Han chose a separate path for Samsung, not confronting directly but creating a different ecosystem.

While Sony focuses on the expensive market segment, LG focuses on high-end OLED screens, Mr. Han follows the philosophy of "TV for every home, but must have a distinct identity".

Under his leadership, Samsung developed a series of design-driven TVs such as The Frame (TV that looks like a wall painting) and The Sero (TV that rotates vertically), helping to redefine the position of TV in modern life.

Han Jong-hee was also early to see the connectivity of TVs in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT). He pushed to integrate SmartThings into Samsung TVs, turning the TV into the control center of the smart home - something Sony and LG have only begun to focus on in recent years.

Thanks to this approach, Samsung has not only maintained its No. 1 position in sales, but also created a valuable ecosystem that is difficult to copy, making its display technology an essential part of the living space, not just an audio-visual device.

Han Jong-hee dared to look straight and point out the shortcomings and challenges that Samsung is facing (Photo: Ainvest).

Han Jong-hee is also someone who dares to admit Samsung's weaknesses. At Samsung's annual shareholder meeting on March 19, Han Jong-hee admitted to shareholders that Samsung's technological competitiveness has weakened in recent years.

Samsung now faces fierce competition from Chinese technology companies in the smartphone, TV and consumer electronics markets, and has lagged behind rivals in advanced memory chips and custom chip manufacturing.

Han Jong-hee pledged to lead the company to make "meaningful achievements" in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as a way to restore growth.

However, Han Jong-hee was unable to fulfill his commitment when he suddenly passed away on the morning of March 25 due to cardiac arrest at the age of 63.

The legacy Han Jong-hee left behind after his sudden passing

Under Han's leadership, Samsung has not only maintained its leading position in televisions but also expanded its influence in the home appliance and mobile markets. He is respected by many colleagues and the technology industry for his decisiveness, foresight, and ability to lead in a fiercely competitive environment.

Han Jong-hee's sudden passing caused much regret, but he also left a huge legacy at Samsung (Photo: Bloomberg).

From a young engineer to the position of CEO of one of the largest technology corporations in the world, his journey is a testament to perseverance, creativity and dedication.

The sudden passing of Han Jong-hee has left many regrets for Samsung in particular and the technology industry in general.

The Korean technology company has lost a talented "captain", while the global technology world has lost a person with vision and creativity to create new, more modern technologies.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/chan-dung-thuyen-truong-tai-ba-vua-dot-ngot-qua-doi-cua-samsung-20250325163942446.htm