Lee Seo-hyun
South Korean businesswoman; president of strategy planning at Samsung C&T
| Lee Seo-hyun
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 September 1973 (Forbes) |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Residence | Seoul (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Known for | President, Samsung C&T (strategy planning); chair, Samsung Welfare Foundation |
| Parents | Lee Kun-hee; Hong Ra-hee |
| Education | Parsons School of Design (Forbes; Korea Herald) |
Lee Seo-hyun (born 20 September 1973) is a South Korean businesswoman, the second daughter of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee and of Hong Ra-hee.[1][2] In March 2024 she returned to management as president in charge of strategy planning at Samsung C&T, the group's de facto holding company.[1][3] She also chairs the Samsung Welfare Foundation.[1][4] On 12 November 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Lee 383rd in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$9.5 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as samsung.[4][5] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Lee 364th, at US$9.5 billion.[6]
Fashion career
Lee studied design at Parsons School of Design in New York and joined Cheil Industries' fashion division as a manager in 2002.[3] Forbes says she developed the casual-wear brand Bean Pole, was behind the 2011 acquisition of the Italian leather brand Colombo Via della Spiga, and in 2014 launched the street-fashion brand Nonagon with YG Entertainment.[4] She was president of Samsung C&T's fashion division from 2015 to 2018.[1] Forbes reported in 2019 that she had taken over the division amid difficulties, with a Samsung target to increase its revenue fivefold by 2020.[4] The Korea Herald says she also served as president of strategy and corporate management at Cheil Worldwide.[3]
Foundation and museum roles
After stepping back from management in 2018, Lee became chair of the Samsung Welfare Foundation and head of the advisory board of the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul.[3] Forbes says the foundation was set up by her father.[4] When she returned to Samsung C&T in 2024, the company said she would keep both roles.[1]
Return to Samsung C&T
On 29 March 2024 Samsung appointed Lee president of Samsung C&T, responsible for strategy planning across a company spanning construction, trading and fashion.[1] The Korea Herald describes Samsung C&T as the group's construction and energy arm, which acts as a holding company for its main affiliates.[3] Her brother, Lee Jae-yong, is executive chairman of Samsung Electronics, and her elder sister, Lee Boo-jin, is chief executive of Hotel Shilla.[1]
Inheritance
When Lee Kun-hee died, Yonhap reported, he was survived by his wife Hong Ra-hee, his son Lee Jae-yong and his daughters Lee Boo-jin and Lee Seo-hyun. In April 2021 the heirs said they would pay more than 12 trillion won (US$10.7 billion) in inheritance tax, the largest in South Korea's history.[2] In October 2025 Hong, Lee Boo-jin and Lee Seo-hyun signed a trust contract with Shinhan Bank to sell a combined 17.716 million Samsung Electronics shares, which they said was to pay taxes and repay loans.[7] KED Global reported that Lee Seo-hyun's share of the trust was 1.72 million shares.[8]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 15 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2012. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.[6][4]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1153 | 1.0 |
| 2013 | 1342 | 1.0 |
| 2014 | 1442 | 1.1 |
| 2015 | 894 | 2.1 |
| 2016 | 1067 | 1.7 |
| 2017 | 1376 | 1.5 |
| 2018 | 1284 | 1.9 |
| 2019 | 1349 | 1.7 |
| 2020 | 1851 | 1.1 |
| 2021 | 1833 | 1.7 |
| 2022 | 851 | 3.5 |
| 2023 | 1027 | 2.9 |
| 2024 | 896 | 3.6 |
| 2025 | 1219 | 3.0 |
| 2026 | 364 | 9.5 |
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
Lee is a senior executive of Samsung C&T in South Korea and chairs the Samsung Welfare Foundation.[1][3]
Other international links
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Jin Eun-soo, Lee Seo-hyun returns to Samsung C&T as president of strategy planning Korea JoongAng Daily, 29 March 2024, accessed 12 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Yonhap News Agency, Samsung heirs to pay record-high inheritance taxes, but how to split late chief's stocks still uncertain Yonhap News Agency, 28 April 2021, accessed 12 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Jie Ye-eun, Daughter of late Samsung chairman becomes Samsung C&T president The Korea Herald, 29 March 2024, accessed 12 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Lee Seo-hyun (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/lee-seo-hyun/) Forbes, live record, read 12 November 2026, accessed 12 November 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 12 November 2026 09:42 UTC, accessed 12 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 12 November 2026.
- ↑ Myung Ji-ye, The Samsung owner family will dispose of large-scale Samsung Electronics shares to pay inheritance tax Maeil Business Newspaper, 17 October 2025, accessed 12 November 2026.
- ↑ KED Global, Samsung heirs sell $1.3 bn stake in Samsung Electronics for inheritance taxes The Korea Economic Daily (KED Global), 31 October 2025, accessed 12 November 2026.