Samsung Electronics co-CEO Han Jong-hee d!ed of a heart attack Tuesday, March 25, aged 63, the company told AFP.
Han, who was also a board member, passed away at a hospital on Tuesday while being treated for cardiac arrest, a company spokesperson said. Samsung has not yet decided on a successor, the spokesperson added.
“He died from cardiac arrest today,” a Samsung spokesperson said, adding that Han was survived by his wife and three children.
Han became chief executive officer of South Korea’s biggest company in 2022 and was also in charge of its consumer electronics and mobile devices division.
Han is credited with boosting the South Korean tech giant’s television business on the global stage. He joined Samsung in 1988 and was seen as having played a key role in getting its high-end TV sets noticed worldwide.
“Han was central in the unveiling of Samsung’s world-class LED TVs,” the firm said in a company biography published earlier this month.
“His numerous other innovations enabled the company to continually demonstrate its technology leadership,” it added.
Han was credited by the company with taking Samsung televisions “to the pinnacle of the global market” and keeping them there.
Samsung Electronics is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
The company has traditionally had a co-CEO structure that divides oversight of its consumer and chips divisions.
Han joined Samsung nearly 40 years ago and built his career in its television business.
“Han was the key figure behind making Samsung’s TV business influential on a global scale,” said an analyst who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject. “With his sudden passing… there could have some long-term impact on its business strategy, particularly in areas like marketing.”
Han was not part of the Samsung family, which still dominates the company, with third-generation leader Lee Jae-yong the current chief of Samsung Electronics.
Han’s de@th could deal a blow to Samsung’s strategy to keep its number one place in the global TV market, Kim Dae-Jong, professor of business administration at Sejong University in Seoul, told AFP.
“Considering he has been deeply involved in Samsung’s TV business for decades, helping it firmly secure its global standing, his absence could affect its global strategy for years to come,” Dae-Jong said.