Han Jong-Hee, co-director of Samsung Electronics and one of those responsible for turning the Korean conglomerate into the world’s leading electronics company, died at age 63.
The executive died on Tuesday after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to a company spokesman. He leaves wife and three children. Samsung’s actions fell initially before recovering their losses in Seoul.
Veteran of the company, Han began his career in the screen division for over three decades and was fundamental to overcome Japanese competitors such as Sony Group.
“His contribution to the consumer electronics business is immeasurable,” said Sanjeev Rana, an analyst at CLSA Securities Korea. “Under his leadership, especially Samsung’s TV segment has maintained a very strong position in the market over the past two decades.”
Rana added that Han played a “general supervision role” about the company’s smartphone division, with the president of the mobile device division, TM Roh, assuming operational leadership.
Han’s personal motto was “eternal number 1,” and he was known for his work ethics and determination to overcome challenges – a reflection of Samsung’s own culture.
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Promoted to vice president in 2021, Han began to lead the so-called Divice Experience Division, responsible for Samsung’s TV, appliances and smartphones.
More recently, he led efforts to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) to most company products, anticipating a boom of AI resources in everyday use. Under its lead, the company installed AI chips in refrigerators, washing machines and vacuum cleaners.
In an interview with Bloomberg News in January, Han highlighted Samsung’s unique position as a leader on both mobile and appliance devices to accelerate intelligent houses technology on a global scale. He said Samsung wants to better connect the half billion devices he sells per year in an attempt to compensate for failures that made it lose room for technology giants in areas such as state -of -the -art and generally.
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His death occurs at a crucial time for the company. The rapid growth of Chinese electronics brands, which offer products with good resources and competitive prices, represents a significant threat to Samsung’s dominance. The Korean company also tries to reach SK Hynix Inc. in the AI memory sector and faces increasing US and China competition.
Last week, Han presided over the Samsung Annual Shareholders’ Assembly and spoke about the company’s challenges. He told investors that 2025 would be a difficult year, but that the company would seek mergers and acquisitions to face growth concerns.
Han shared Samsung’s command with Vice President Jun Young-Hyun, responsible for the vital semiconductor segment. Already Han led all other areas of the giant of electronics.
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“Our ultimate goal is to create products that people have never experienced before,” Han told Bloomberg News in January.
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