Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong Visits Funeral Hall First
Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Jeong Jin-seok, Chairman Hong Seok-hyun Also Visit
[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] From the morning of the first day of the funeral for Son Bok-nam, an advisor to the CJ Group and mother of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, a procession of condolences from prominent figures across various sectors continued to pay their last respects.
On the 6th, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the funeral hall set up at the CJ Human Resources Development Center in Pildong, Jung-gu, Seoul, around 9 a.m., accompanied by his mother, former Leeum Museum Director Hong Ra-hee. Despite the early hour, he was the first among the relatives to arrive as soon as the condolence visits began. Although the condolence visits officially started at 10 a.m., the two arrived an hour early to express their condolences.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is entering the funeral hall of the late Son Bok-nam, mother of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, set up at the CJ Human Resources Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 6th to pay his respects. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
After the condolence visits began at 10 a.m., various directors from different fields visited the funeral hall to honor the deceased. Among those who paid their respects were Kim Dong-kwan, Vice Chairman and CEO of Hanwha Solutions; Jeong Jin-seok, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party; Hong Seok-hyun, Chairman of JoongAng Holdings; Lee Ki-soo, former President of Korea University; and singer Ha Chun-hwa. CJ Group affiliate presidents, including Kim Hong-gi, CEO of CJ, and Choi Eun-seok, CEO of CJ CheilJedang, also visited the funeral hall from the morning to offer their condolences.
Advisor Son, who passed away the previous day due to a prolonged illness, was the wife of the late Lee Maeng-hee, honorary chairman of CJ Group and eldest son of Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul. She was the mother of the three siblings: Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, Vice Chairman Lee Mi-kyung, and Chairman Lee Jae-hwan of Jaesan Holdings. She was also the elder sister of Son Kyung-sik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation. It is well known that the late founder Lee Byung-chul especially cherished Son, his eldest daughter-in-law. After Lee Byung-chul passed away in 1987, Son cared for her mother-in-law, Mrs. Park Du-eul, at the family home in Jangchung-dong until Mrs. Park's passing in January 2000.
She is recognized as a foundational figure in establishing CJ Group and completing the succession structure for Chairman Lee Jae-hyun. During his lifetime, founder Lee Byung-chul bequeathed shares of Anguk Fire & Marine Insurance (now Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance) to her, while her younger brother Son Kyung-sik became Executive Director of CJ Group. In 1993, when Samsung Group attempted to separate CheilJedang from its affiliates, she exchanged her shares in Anguk Fire & Marine Insurance for Samsung and Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s shares in CheilJedang. Through this, Son became the largest shareholder of CheilJedang. In 1996, the CheilJedang Group was officially launched, and by transferring her shares to Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, the foundation for CJ Group’s management was established. Currently, CJ Group is led by Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, CJ Entertainment by Vice Chairman Lee Mi-kyung, and Jaesan Communications by Chairman Lee Jae-hwan.
The CJ Human Resources Development Center, where the funeral hall was set up, is the site of the house where Chairman Lee Jae-hyun lived with the deceased during his childhood. The funeral will be a private family ceremony.
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