Lee Myung-hee (Korean: 이명희; born 5 September 1943[1]) is a South Korean business magnate and the chairwoman of the Shinsegae Group. She is the youngest daughter of Lee Byung-chul, founder of the Samsung Group and the sister of the former late chairman Lee Kun-Hee. Lee became the company's chairwoman in 1997 following its separation from Samsung and is credited for growing it into the country's second-largest retailer. With an estimated net worth of $840 million she is one of the wealthiest people in South Korea and was ranked 20th on Forbes 2017 list of 50 Richest Koreans.[1]
Lee Myung-hee | |
|---|---|
 Lee Myung-Hee in 2016 | |
| Born | 5 September 1943 Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea |
| Alma mater | Ewha Womans University |
| Occupation | Chairman of Shinsegae Group |
| Spouse | Chung Jae-eun |
| Children | 2, including Chung Yong-jin |
| Parent | Lee Byung-chul |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이명희 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Lee Myeonghui |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Myŏnghŭi |
Biography
editLee was born in Uiryeong County to Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul and his first wife Park Du-eul as the youngest of eight children. She attended Ewha Girls' High School and then majored in art at Ewha Womans University before marrying a Seoul National University and Columbia-educated engineer,[2] Chung Jae-eun, who served as the president of Samsung Electronics and is currently the honorary chairman of Shinsegae Group.[3] After ten years of being a homemaker, she became a sales executive at Shinsegae Department Store in 1979 and then its Chairwoman in 1997 after the company was separated from Samsung.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Lee Myung-hee". The Investor. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ "The Investor". www.theinvestor.co.kr. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ Herald, Korea (3 June 2012). "Shinsegae Group honorary chairman gets Columbia University award". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2023.