89 Navy and Marine Corps Officers Commissioned...Lee Jaeyong's Son Serves as Class Representative

Lee Jiho, the 24-year-old son of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jaeyong, will serve as the representative of his class and lead the formation at the Navy and Marine Corps Officer Candidate Commissioning Ceremony, which will be held on the afternoon of November 28 at the Korea Naval Academy in Changwon, Gyeongnam Province. Chairman Lee is also expected to attend the ceremony.

Lee Jiho, the eldest son of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, and others are taking an oath at the '139th Navy Officer Candidate Entrance Ceremony' held at the Ungpo Auditorium of the Naval Academy in Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam Province on the morning of the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Navy, the 139th Navy and Marine Corps Officer Candidate Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony will be held at the parade ground of the Korea Naval Academy, presided over by Navy Chief of Staff Kang Donggil. A total of 89 new officers-75 in the Navy (including 18 women) and 14 in the Marine Corps (including 3 women)-will be commissioned.

The new Navy and Marine Corps officers enlisted at the Korea Naval Academy and the Marine Corps Education and Training Group on September 15 and underwent 11 weeks of training. Around 1,300 people are expected to attend the event, including the families and relatives of those being commissioned, key commanders and staff from the Navy and Marine Corps, representatives from related organizations, and cadets from the Korea Naval Academy.

Lee, who was born in the United States in 2000, held dual citizenship in Korea and the United States. However, he renounced his U.S. citizenship to fulfill his military duty and enlisted as a naval officer. He is expected to serve as an interpreter officer. Including the 11-week training period and the mandatory service period of 36 months after commissioning, his total military service will amount to 39 months. Chairman Lee, who did not attend the officer candidate entrance ceremony, is expected to be present at this commissioning ceremony to watch his son serve as the class representative.

In his congratulatory address, Chief of Staff Kang stated, "The Navy and Marine Corps, as the successors of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, have steadfastly protected our nation's maritime sovereignty and peace from external threats, supporting the development of the Republic of Korea. You must now follow in the footsteps of your senior comrades and grow into officers who dedicate themselves solely to the nation and its people."

Meanwhile, at the ceremony, Navy Second Lieutenant Park Soeun (27, ship assignment) and Marine Corps Second Lieutenant Cho Minkyu (22, infantry reconnaissance) received the Minister of National Defense Award for achieving the highest academic performance.