Lee Yoon-hyung

South Korean millionaire (1979–2005)
Parents
  • Lee Kun-hee (father)
  • Hong Ra-hee (mother)
Relatives
  • Lee Jae-yong (brother)
  • Lee Boo-jin (sister)
Korean nameHangul
이윤형
Hanja
李尹馨
Revised RomanizationI Yun-hyeongMcCune–ReischauerYi Yun-hyŏng

Lee Yoon-hyung (Korean: 이윤형; c. 1979 – November 18, 2005) was a South Korean millionaire who is the daughter of Samsung Group former chairman Lee Kun-hee. On November 18, 2005, Lee died by suicide at the age of 26 in her New York City apartment.[1]

Early life and education

Lee was born in South Korea. Her father was Samsung former chairman Lee Kun-hee, and her mother was Hong Ra-hee. She was the youngest of the four children; she had an elder brother Lee Jae-yong and two elder sisters Lee Boo-jin and Lee Seo-hyun.

Lee graduated from Ewha Womans University in Seoul with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French language and French literature.[2] She was a first year graduate student in arts management at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.[1]

Death

Her cause of death was originally reported in both American and South Korean media as a car crash due to the social stigma against suicide, but the actual details were subsequently published after inquiries by reporters from The Korea Times.[1]

At the time of her death, Lee was a graduate student at the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and her father was in the United States undergoing treatment for lung cancer.[3] A doorman at her building told reporters that she sometimes stayed in her apartment for a week at a time,[3] and there were reports that her father had forbidden her to marry her middle-class Korean boyfriend.[3]

At the time of her death, Lee had a personal fortune of more than £100 million (US$157 million).[3]

Personal life

In 2003, it was revealed that she owned $191 million of Samsung stock.[1]

In her spare time, she was very keen on car racing and many extreme sports. She also launched a personal blog to show her daily life to the public and it became very popular in South Korea.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Baker, Al (2005-11-26). "After Samsung Reports Accident, Painful Details of Suicide Emerge". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Kim, Min-hee (2005-11-22). "Samsung chairman's youngest daughter". Daum.
  3. ^ a b c d Marks, Kathy (2005-11-30). "The high life and lonely death of Lee Yoon-hyung". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  4. ^ 三星会长幼女自杀引发思考:灿烂背后的焦虑(图) Archived 2017-10-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved in 2016-08-12