Samsung TV Pioneer Han Jong-hee Passes Away at 63

SEOUL, 25th March 2025 (BSS/AFP) – Han Jong-hee, the co-CEO of Samsung Electronics and a key figure in elevating the South Korean tech giant’s television business globally, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 63 due to a heart attack, the company confirmed.

A spokesperson for Samsung stated, “He died from cardiac arrest today,” and further mentioned that Han is survived by his wife and three children.

Han joined Samsung in 1988 and played an instrumental role in ensuring that its premium television sets gained international recognition. He was particularly pivotal in the launch of Samsung’s world-renowned LED televisions, which were highlighted in a company biography earlier this month.

“Han was central to unveiling Samsung’s world-class LED TVs,” the company noted. “His numerous other innovations enabled the company to maintain its technological leadership.”

Under Han’s guidance, Samsung’s television division reached the zenith of the global market, a position the company has maintained ever since.

Samsung Electronics, the flagship subsidiary of the massive Samsung Group, is one of the largest family-controlled conglomerates in South Korea, which is Asia’s fourth-largest economy. While Han played a significant role in Samsung’s success, he was not part of the Samsung family, which remains headed by third-generation leader, Lee Jae-yong, the current chief of Samsung Electronics.

Han’s passing comes at a time when Samsung faces significant challenges in the highly competitive memory-chip market, especially in the race to produce chips for artificial intelligence. The company has encountered difficulties meeting Nvidia’s demands, while its rival, SK hynix, has emerged as the primary supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in Nvidia’s AI graphics processing units.

This struggle has prompted Chairman Lee Jae-yong to declare that the company must adopt a “do-or-die” mindset to confront the obstacles presented by AI, according to recent media reports. In October, Samsung acknowledged that it was facing a “crisis” and raised concerns about its “fundamental technological competitiveness and the future of the company.”