After Returning from China, Lee Jae-yong...Will He Solve the Challenges of 'Expanding China Business and Leadership Vacuum'?

Returned Home After Meeting with President Xi Jinping
Remained Silent on Questions About China Visit
Leadership Vacuum Issues Pile Up at Home

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong returned to Korea on the 28th through Gimpo Airport after a week-long business trip to China.

On the afternoon of the same day, at the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Chairman Lee got into his car without responding to reporters' questions about his impressions of the China trip. He remained silent when asked about his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the semiconductor crisis at Samsung Electronics.

Earlier, at 11 a.m. (local time), Chairman Lee attended a global CEO meeting with President Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and then immediately headed back to Korea. The meeting, named the "International Business Representatives Conference," was an official event linked to the China Development Forum (CDF), and it was reported that about 30 global company CEOs, including Chairman Lee and SK Hynix President Kwak No-jung, participated in the meeting.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, is returning to Korea through the Gimpo Airport Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the 28th. 2025.3.28. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Chairman Lee visited Xiaomi's electric vehicle factory in Beijing on the 22nd and the headquarters of BYD, the world's largest electric vehicle company, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on the 24th, continuing his efforts to expand Samsung's electric vehicle business in China. This has been interpreted as China identifying Korean companies as partners to expand its domestic semiconductor industry. There is also speculation that Samsung Electronics may actively expand cooperation with China in the future.

Meanwhile, amid ongoing concerns about Samsung Electronics' leadership crisis, there are numerous challenges to address. On the 25th, while Chairman Lee was in China, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee passed away, creating a leadership vacuum in the dual-top system of Han Jong-hee and Jeon Young-hyun (Head of the DS Division). Samsung Electronics is expected to maintain a single vice chairman representative system for the time being.