Jay Y. Lee's Eldest Son Lee Jiho to Join Navy, Gives Up U.S. Citizenship

Scheduled to Be Commissioned as Second Lieutenant in December
Chose to Serve as an Officer Despite Holding Dual Citizenship

Lee Jiho, the eldest son of Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, will enlist as a candidate for the 139th class of the Navy Officer Candidate School on September 15.

According to Samsung Electronics on September 10, Lee will receive 11 weeks of basic officer training at the Naval Academy in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, including ▲drill ▲combat skills ▲basic knowledge. He is scheduled to be commissioned as a second lieutenant on December 1. After completing both training and commissioning, he will serve a total of 39 months in the military, which includes 36 months of mandatory service. His specific assignment and unit will be determined upon commissioning, based on his training performance and the Navy's personnel needs for each specialty.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee is returning to Korea through the Gimpo Airport Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on March 28. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Born in the United States in 2000, Lee holds dual citizenship. In such cases, one can be exempted from military service by renouncing Korean citizenship, or maintain the privileges of dual citizenship by enlisting as a regular soldier and serving a shortened term. However, Lee reportedly gave up his U.S. citizenship and chose the path of a Navy officer. The service period for a Navy officer is more than twice as long as that of a regular soldier (18 months).