Lee Jae-yong Ahead of 'Lee Kun-hee 4th Anniversary', Silent on 'Samsung Reform Message' Questions (Comprehensive)

Participation in Lee Kun-hee Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Support Project Event
Lee Jae-yong "Thank you for your hard work" Hong Ra-hee '...'

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong remained silent on the 21st about whether he would deliver a message to revitalize Samsung amid the crisis, ahead of the 4th anniversary of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee and the 2nd anniversary of his own promotion to Samsung Electronics chairman. Amid growing attention to related messages such as organizational restructuring and high-intensity executive personnel changes amid criticism that Samsung is in crisis, he avoided mentioning it for now.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong (back) and former Samsung Museum of Art Leeum Director Hong Ra-hee (front) are entering the venue of the "Lee Kun-hee Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Overcoming Project, Opening Hope Together, Opening the Future" event held on the 21st at the CJ Hall of Seoul National University Children's Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Samsung Electronics

On the same day, Chairman Lee attended the event "Overcoming Lee Kun-hee Pediatric Cancer and Rare Diseases Project, Opening Hope Together, Opening the Future" held at CJ Hall of Seoul National University Children's Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and said this.

When asked by reporters whether he planned to deliver a message for the 4th anniversary of the late Chairman Lee on the 25th and the 2nd anniversary of his promotion to chairman on the 27th, Chairman Lee replied, "Thank you for your hard work," and left the venue. Hong Ra-hee, former director of the Samsung Museum of Art Leeum, also did not respond to questions.

The event was organized to review the achievements of the Lee Kun-hee Pediatric Cancer and Rare Diseases Overcoming Project, which began with a donation from the late Chairman Lee in May 2021, and to share future visions. Attendees included Chairman Lee, former director Hong, Kim Young-tae, director of Seoul National University Hospital, Choi Eun-hwa, head of the project team (vice director of pediatric care at Seoul National University Hospital), and Kim Yong-tae, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is greeting a patient who received support from the project team at the event "Lee Kun-hee Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Overcoming Project, Opening Hope Together, Opening the Future," held on the 21st at the CJ Hall of Seoul National University Children's Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Samsung Electronics

Chairman Lee arrived at the venue at 2:03 p.m., just before the event started. He sat in the center of the front row and stayed for the entire 1 hour and 10 minutes of the event. He also comforted and encouraged Da-el Kim, a patient supported by the project team, by patting his shoulder.

At the event, Da-el said, "I like cooking with my mother the most, and I am good at making braised tofu, hand-drip coffee, and dumplings," adding, "I am most confident in making iced Americano."

Since 2021, Samsung has been supporting a mid- to long-term project for 10 years until 2030 to support treatment research for pediatric cancer and rare disease patients. Pediatric cancer and rare diseases are difficult to develop treatments for because of the variety of disease types and the small number of patients. Patients outside the metropolitan area also find it difficult to receive medical services.

The project team has continuously promoted the expansion of nationwide medical infrastructure and strengthened cooperation with regional hospitals. The project team allocated donations of 150 billion KRW for pediatric cancer projects, 60 billion KRW for the pediatric rare disease treatment platform, and 90 billion KRW for joint research. Over the past four years, 9,521 pediatric cancer and rare disease patients have been diagnosed, and 3,892 have received treatment. A total of 24,608 cohort data entries have been registered. A total of 202 medical institutions and 1,504 medical personnel nationwide are cooperating to treat children.

Kim Young-tae, director of Seoul National University Hospital, said in his welcoming remarks, "The legacy of the late Chairman Lee has been a great help to the project," emphasizing, "With the launch of the project team, a path has opened to focus on new treatments and disease research for pediatric cancer and rare intractable diseases, which have very poor support, and it has become a starting point for dreaming of a new future."

Choi Eun-hwa, head of the project team, said, "The project team is continuously striving to provide better diagnosis and treatment opportunities for children suffering from pediatric cancer and rare diseases," adding, "The project will play an important role in delivering hope not only to the present but also to future generations."

Kim Yong-tae, a member of the People Power Party, said in his congratulatory speech, "It is the environment that the patients are in that is the problem, not the patients themselves," adding, "Thanks to the late Chairman Lee's project, patients can now dream of small hopes like eating tteokbokki at a snack bar after school just like their peers."