"Three Years Without a Smartphone"... Study Strategies of Lee Boo-jin's Son Admitted to Seoul National University

Lee Boo-jin's Eldest Son Speaks at College Prep Academy
"Highly Recommends Complete Break from Smartphones and Games for Three Years"

Lim Donghyun, the eldest son of Lee Boo-jin, President of Hotel Shilla, who was accepted into the Department of Economics at Seoul National University, took the stage as a speaker at an academic seminar for prospective first-year students of Whimoon High School held at a college prep academy in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and shared his study strategies.

Lee Boo-jin, President of Hotel Shilla, is entering the 'Lee Kun-hee Collection' gala event held on the 28th of last month (local time) at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC, USA. Photo by Yonhap News

According to The Maeil Business Newspaper on February 2, Lim attended the "Pre-First-Year Whimoon High School Academic Seminar" held at a college prep academy in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, starting at 1:40 p.m. that day, where he shared with his juniors methods for managing academic performance and tips for studying each subject on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

Lim created his own presentation titled "A Regret-Free Life at Whimoon" and delivered a lecture in front of parents. Known for his outstanding mathematics grades, he said, "Practicing by solving about 2,000 problems for each academic test helped build my mathematical stamina," and recommended, "I suggest preparing for questions that require critical thinking skills."

He also advised the prospective first-year students, "Academic performance and the CSAT are not a matter of choice; you must carry both all the way through," and added, "I believe their importance will remain the same even under the revised grading system."

He emphasized the importance of self-management as well. "It may be a difficult request, but I highly recommend a complete break from smartphones and games for three years," he said, stressing that "it greatly helped with concentration and immersion." He also added, "On the day I finished all my exams, the joy I experienced after three years was quite rewarding."

Meanwhile, Lim was accepted into the Department of Economics at Seoul National University through the rolling admissions process for the 2026 academic year. Having graduated from Whimoon Middle School and Whimoon High School, he reportedly maintained top grades in the humanities track throughout his middle and high school years. President Lee Boo-jin moved her residence from Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul to Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu in 2018 for her son's education, and recently relocated back to Itaewon.

Once Lim enters Seoul National University, he will become an alumnus of the same university as his uncle, Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics. Chairman Lee was admitted to the Department of Asian History at Seoul National University in 1987.