Lee Geonhee Keeps Promise After 13 Years... Donates 1 Trillion Won of Personal Wealth for Medical Contribution

The Meaning of the 1 Trillion Won Private Donation in 2008... Deep Interest in Lifetime Medical Contribution Activities

Late Chairman Lee Kun-hee of Samsung

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The late Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung, fulfilling his promise to donate 1 trillion won of his personal wealth for social contribution after 13 years holds significant meaning.

On the 28th, Samsung Electronics announced, "The bereaved family has decided to continuously carry out various social contribution projects in accordance with Chairman Lee's repeated emphasis on 'corporate social responsibility and coexistence efforts' during his lifetime," revealing the news of the 1 trillion won donation. It has been 13 years since Chairman Lee announced in 2008 that he would donate 1 trillion won of his personal wealth for social contribution.

In 2008, during the special prosecutor's investigation into Samsung's slush funds, Chairman Lee revealed his plan to donate personal wealth, stating, "Among the real-name converted proxy assets, I will pay fines and unpaid taxes and use the remaining amount for beneficial purposes." It is estimated that the remaining amount after taxes and penalties from the total 2.1 trillion won worth of Samsung affiliate stocks that Chairman Lee held under proxy names and later converted to real names is about 1 trillion won. At that time, various options such as cash or stock donations and foundation establishment were considered through Samsung Group's Future Strategy Office, but related discussions were halted in 2014 when Chairman Lee suffered an acute myocardial infarction.

The bereaved family reportedly decided that donating the wealth to prevent infectious disease spread and to treat pediatric cancer and rare diseases best aligns with Chairman Lee's promise. Considering Chairman Lee's lifelong 'philosophy of respecting humanity' and 'love for children,' this decision is interpreted as a desire to find ways to contribute to human society beyond a simple inheritance issue. Chairman Lee showed deep interest in medical contribution activities during his lifetime. He was known to say that his "greatest interests are semiconductors and hospitals," showing a strong focus on the medical field, especially actively supporting low-income children.

In the business community, the decision by the bereaved family to fulfill Chairman Lee's promise despite paying enormous inheritance taxes exceeding 12 trillion won, and to allocate the funds to areas such as infectious diseases, pediatric cancer, and rare diseases?fields often overlooked by the medical system?is being evaluated as a meaningful new precedent in inheritance.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.