Lee Jae-yong Returns from Sun Valley Conference in U.S., Says "I Will Do My Best in the Second Half"

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong returned to Korea through the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center (SGBAC) on the morning of July 14 after attending the Sun Valley Conference held in the United States. At the arrival hall, when asked by reporters about his management plans for the second half of the year, Chairman Lee stated, "I will do my best."

Chairman Lee appeared at the arrival hall at around 6:30 a.m. that day. He shared his thoughts on completing his business trip, saying, "There were various schedules," and when asked about the outlook for the second half of the year, he replied, "I will do my best."

Last week, Chairman Lee attended the closed-door event "The Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference" held in Sun Valley, Idaho, United States. This event is hosted annually by the American investment bank Allen & Company and is known as a gathering where key figures from the global IT and media industries discuss mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as well as strategic cooperation.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, is returning to Korea through the Business Aviation Center at Gimpo Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on March 28, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

This year's conference was attended by many leaders of major U.S. big tech companies, including Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; Bob Iger, CEO of Disney; and Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. Chairman Lee was reportedly the only business leader from Korea to be invited.

Chairman Lee's attendance at Sun Valley has been ongoing since 2002, when he was an executive director. During the 2017 trial regarding the political scandal, he testified that it was "the busiest and most important business trip of the year." In 2014, at the same conference, he met with Apple CEO Tim Cook to coordinate a smartphone patent lawsuit.

Samsung Electronics is currently facing a combination of challenges, including a slump in the semiconductor market, issues with high-bandwidth memory (HBM) supply, and external uncertainties. Against this backdrop, the business community views Chairman Lee's direct engagement in global networking as an effort to establish response strategies for the second half of the year.

Meanwhile, Chairman Lee is awaiting the Supreme Court's verdict on July 17. He has been on trial for alleged illegal activities during the merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, and was acquitted in the appellate court. The Supreme Court's decision is expected to have an impact on his future management activities.