"With You, Korea Became Prosperous" 2030 Lee Geon-hee Memorial Fever

Online and SNS Reevaluate Chairman Lee's Achievements
Essay Collection Prices Surge at Used Bookstores

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Jung Yoon Lee, Intern Reporters Junhyung Park and Geunhwi Jeon] "Now, wherever you go in the world, Samsung TVs are always front and center," "Like anyone, there were mistakes, but there is no doubt that he had a profound impact on making Korea prosperous. We are grateful for that and hope he rests in peace."

On the third day after the passing of Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee on the 27th, the online and social networking services (SNS) are filled with a strong wave of tribute to him. Especially among university campuses and the 20s and 30s age group, there is a growing public opinion to reexamine Chairman Lee’s achievements. Riding this wave of tribute, an essay written by Chairman Lee has even appeared on online secondhand bookstores priced over 100,000 won.

One netizen wrote in the comments of a YouTube video related to Chairman Lee’s quotes, "As Samsung grew, our national power also grew," and another comment said, "We owe you a great debt." Another netizen said, "Chairman Lee was the main figure who made us proud when we saw locals abroad holding Galaxy smartphones."

On Instagram, a popular SNS among young people, memorial posts and comments continued. The user 'ise***' left a message saying, "The person who revived South Korea’s economy, who challenged fearlessly and created a new world, thank you for all your hard work." 'soj***' quoted a passage from Chairman Lee’s 1997 essay "Let’s Think a Bit and Look at the World," which caused a strong reaction: "In other countries, men and women run together, but here men struggle alone. Companies should open their doors wide to women and provide infrastructure to support their employment activities." Chairman Lee’s essay collection has also been listed at high prices on secondhand book trading sites since the 25th. It is currently traded at up to 120,000 won on online secondhand bookstores.

The evaluation of him, who built the 'number one company in employment hopes,' is also positive on university campuses. A student on Seoul National University’s online community 'SNU Life' evaluated, "Korea’s technology influencing global technological development was thanks to the semiconductor business, and this business would not have started without the late chairman." On Korea University’s community 'Gopas' and others, posts highlighting Chairman Lee’s leadership appeared one after another. Professor Kwon Kum-ju of Seoul National University’s Department of Psychology interpreted, "The strong wave of tribute seems to have emerged because the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 overlaps with the aspects of Chairman Lee’s contribution to Korea’s economic development."