Born into one of Asia’s most powerful business dynasties, the three daughters of late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee have long been seen as potential pillars of the conglomerate’s future. Yet time has revealed strikingly different destinies for each woman, shaped by leadership style, personal choices and, in one case, profound tragedy.
Their lives illustrate a compelling truth: Wealth and power do not guarantee identical outcomes.
Lee Boo-jin: The Iron Lady of the Shilla Hotel
Among the three sisters, Lee Boo-jin (born 1970) is most often described as the daughter who most resembles her father.
As president of Hotel Shilla, Samsung’s luxury hospitality and duty-free retail business, Lee Boo-jin is known for her disciplined leadership, sharp decision making, and cool demeanor in public. After studying at Yonsei University, she joined Hotel Shilla in 2001 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming president in 2010.
Under his leadership, Hotel Shilla transformed from a traditional service company into a global duty-free powerhouse, competing directly with international giants and significantly expanding its presence in Asia.
Despite her immense wealth, Lee Boo-jin is often described as someone who lives modestly and maintains a strictly professional lifestyle, traits widely associated with Samsung’s corporate culture.
His personal life, however, was much more turbulent. Lee Boo-jin’s marriage to Im Woo-jae, a former office worker, shocked South Korea due to their stark class difference. After years of bitter legal battles, the couple finalized their divorce in 2020.
While Im Woo-jae initially asked for compensation of around 1.2 trillion won, the court only awarded him 14.1 billion won, granting Lee Boo-jin custody of their only child. The case has become one of the most talked about divorce trials in Korea involving a chaebol family.
Lee Seo-hyun: the strategist behind the scenes
In contrast, Lee Seo-hyun (born 1973) is widely regarded as the more refined and strategically minded among the sisters.
Trained at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York, she played a key role in improving Samsung C&T’s fashion division, helping it align with global luxury standards. Her experience has earned her recognition as a cultural and branding architect rather than a corporate enforcer.
In 2018, Lee Seo-hyun stepped away from Samsung C&T to focus on philanthropy and the arts. She became president of the Samsung Welfare Foundation and took on a leadership role at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, strengthening the family’s cultural legacy.
In a surprise move, on March 29, 2024, Lee Seo-hyun returned as president of Samsung C&T, overseeing strategy in the construction, trade and fashion sectors. Industry analysts interpreted the decision as a key step in restructuring Samsung’s leadership in the context of global market challenges.
His personal life remains remarkably stable. Married to Kim Jae-yeol, vice president of the Samsung Economic Research Institute and heiress to the DongA Ilbo media family, she has four children and avoids public attention.
Lee Yoon-hyung: a life tragically cut short
The youngest daughter, Lee Yoon-hyung (1979-2005), followed a markedly different path, defined by sensitivity, independence and tragedy.
Unlike her sisters, Lee Yoon-hyung gained unexpected public attention through Cyworld, South Korea’s first social media platform, where she shared heartfelt, introspective posts that starkly contrasted the image of a typical chaebol heiress.
She graduated from Ewha Womans University, majoring in French literature, and later studied in New York. On November 18, 2005, she was found dead in her Manhattan apartment at the age of 26.
Samsung officially declared that his death was caused by a car accident, although alternative reports have long speculated a possible suicide. The real cause remains a matter of public debate.
Lee Kun-hee reportedly held a Buddhist funeral ceremony in New York and later established a memorial altar in Seoul. Those close to the family believe the loss affected him deeply for the rest of his life.
Three daughters, three destinies
Although born into the same powerful family, Lee Kun-hee’s daughters embody three contrasting realities:
- Lee Boo-jin represents authority, discipline, and the personal cost of leadership.
- Lee Seo-hyun symbolizes strategic influence, cultural legacy and quiet stability.
- Lee Yoon-hyung remains a poignant reminder of the vulnerability that hides behind immense privilege.
Their stories reveal that even within the world’s most powerful families, fates can diverge radically, and that legacy is shaped not just by heredity, but by choice, circumstance, and resilience.
Sources: znews
