Chairman Lee Jae-yong Presides Over 30th Anniversary Exchange Meeting of Japanese Partner Group 'LJF'

First Overseas Visit After Inauguration... Inheriting Late Chairman Lee Kun-hee's Commitment to Building Korea-Japan Trust

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is visiting the Samsung Electronics Giheung Campus in Gyeonggi-do on the 19th to inspect the construction site of the next-generation semiconductor R&D complex. Photo by Samsung Electronics [Image source=Yonhap News]

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong presided over the regular exchange meeting of 'LJF (Lee Kunhee Japanese Friends)', a group of Samsung's partner companies in Japan, at Seungjiwon (承志園) in Hannam-dong, Seoul, last weekend.

LJF is a group celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, established in 1993 following a proposal by the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee to build a cooperative system between Samsung Electronics and semiconductor, mobile phone, TV, and home appliance parts and materials companies in Japan's electronics industry. This meeting was the first regular exchange meeting of LJF presided over by Chairman Lee since his inauguration. It was the first face-to-face exchange meeting held in Korea in four years since 2019. At that time, Chairman Lee presided over the exchange meeting on behalf of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who was ill.

Attending the LJF exchange meeting were Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, MX Division Head Noh Tae-moon, Network Business Division Head Kim Woo-jun, System LSI Business Division Head Park Yong-in, Samsung Display President Choi Joo-sun, Samsung SDI President Choi Yoon-ho, and Samsung C&T President Ko Jung-seok, among other executives from affiliated companies. From LJF, executives from eight partner companies in the electronic components and materials sector, including TDK, Murata Manufacturing, and Alps Alpine, participated.

Chairman Lee Jae-yong and the executives of LJF member companies reviewed the achievements of their cooperation over the past 30 years and discussed ways to expand future collaboration through the exchange meeting. Chairman Lee and LJF members pledged to overcome the global complex crisis caused by the worldwide economic downturn, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, the US-China trade dispute, and the Russia-Ukraine war, which have occurred consecutively.

They also reached a consensus to further strengthen their partnership to pioneer the future by leading core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution, including artificial intelligence (AI), to achieve global win-win outcomes.

Prior to the Seungjiwon exchange meeting, Samsung and LJF executives met at the Shilla Hotel in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, to share future business strategies of major Samsung affiliates and discuss ways to strengthen cooperation going forward. Following the will of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee and Chairman Lee Jae-yong to build trust and cooperative relationships between Korean and Japanese companies, LJF has continued unwaveringly for 30 years despite the ups and downs in bilateral relations.

Regular exchange meetings between Samsung and LJF executives have been held annually for the past 30 years, except for 2020 when they were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these regular meetings, Samsung and LJF members have strengthened their cooperative relationships by conducting cross-visits to business sites and jointly hosting new technology seminars.