Samsung Electronics is mourning the unexpected death of its CEO Han Jong-hee, who passed away suddenly from cardiac arrest—just days after his daughter’s wedding.
The tech world was rocked on March 25 when a Samsung spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that Han Jong-hee had died that morning. According to Chosun Biz, the 61-year-old executive collapsed after attending his daughter’s wedding on March 22 and was rushed to Seoul Samsung Hospital. Despite emergency efforts, he did not survive.
Han’s passing comes at a critical time for Samsung, as the South Korean tech giant grapples with falling profits, weakened stock performance, and intensifying competition. His funeral is scheduled for March 27.
Han Jong-hee had been at the forefront of Samsung’s mobile and consumer electronics business and was one of the company’s two co-CEOs, alongside Jun Young-hyun, who oversees the semiconductor division. He was slated to deliver a keynote at a major Samsung event on March 26, but the company abruptly announced on March 24 that a replacement speaker would be named.
Just a few days before his death, Han appeared at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on March 19 in Suwon. There, he candidly admitted that Samsung’s edge in tech innovation had dulled. “I sincerely apologize for the recent stock price not meeting your expectations,” Han told shareholders. “Over the past year, the company failed to respond to the rapid changes in the AI chip market.”
Samsung has recently lost its crown as the world’s top smartphone maker to Apple and continues to struggle in the cutthroat arenas of consumer electronics and TV manufacturing—especially against aggressive Chinese competitors. Meanwhile, its performance in the advanced memory and contract chip manufacturing segments has fallen behind rivals.
Han had pledged to pursue bold moves, including “meaningful achievements” in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), to help restore growth and investor confidence.
His death comes amid internal turbulence. Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong recently issued an urgent message to the company’s top executives, warning that the conglomerate is at a make-or-break point.
“Samsung is facing a do-or-die survival problem. We need to deeply reflect on ourselves from the top,” Lee stated. “We must invest in the future, even if it means sacrificing short-term profits.”
Han Jong-hee’s passing marks the loss of a key figure during one of the most challenging chapters in Samsung’s history—and raises further questions about the company’s path forward.
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