Lee Jae-yong and Lee Jae-hyun Pay Condolences to Each Other First... Samsung and CJ Reconciliation Mood?

Chairman Lee Jae-yong First to Visit the Late Son Bok-nam's Funeral Hall

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is entering the funeral hall of the late Son Bok-nam, mother of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, set up at the CJ Human Resources Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 6th to pay his respects. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] On the 6th, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong was the first among relatives to visit the funeral hall of Son Bok-nam, an advisor to CJ Group, indicating that the long-standing animosity between the two families is considerably easing in the third generation.

On the 6th, Chairman Lee visited the funeral hall set up at the CJ Human Resources Development Center in Pildong, Jung-gu, Seoul, around 9 a.m. with his mother, Hong Ra-hee, former director of the Leeum Museum of Art, to pay his respects. Despite the early hour, he was the first among relatives to arrive as the condolence visits began.

The deceased was married to the late Lee Maeng-hee, honorary chairman of CJ and eldest son of the founder of Samsung Group, Hoam Lee Byung-chul, thus serving as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Samsung family. She had three children: Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of CJ Group; Lee Mi-kyung, vice chairman; and Lee Jae-hwan, chairman of Jaesan Holdings. It is well known that the late founder Lee Byung-chul especially cherished the eldest daughter-in-law.

However, in 2012, disputes over the inheritance left by the late Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul led to a series of inheritance lawsuits between the late honorary chairman Lee Maeng-hee and the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee, causing strained relations between the two families. The late Lee Maeng-hee filed a lawsuit against her younger brother, the late Lee Kun-hee, regarding the inheritance, and despite fierce legal battles, they never reconciled before Lee Maeng-hee passed away first in 2015.

The atmosphere of genuine reconciliation between the two families has been emerging since 2020. In 2020, Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of CJ Group, was the first among relatives to visit the funeral hall of the late Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee. Upon hearing the news of Lee Kun-hee’s passing, Lee Jae-hyun went to the funeral home, which was not yet fully prepared, and stayed for over an hour. This time, upon hearing the news of the passing of Son Bok-nam, advisor to CJ Group and mother of Lee Jae-hyun, Chairman Lee Jae-yong was the first among relatives to visit the funeral hall as soon as the condolence visits began, despite the early hour.

With both the late Lee Maeng-hee and the late Lee Kun-hee having passed away and the third generation era fully underway, it is interpreted that the long-standing animosity between the two families is gradually being resolved.

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