Who was Han Jong-hee? Samsung CEO's net worth explored as he passes away at 63

The co-CEO of Samsung Electronics, Han Jong-hee, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, said a Samsung spokesperson. Han Jong-hee was 63 years old and was responsible for overseeing Samsung's consumer electronics and mobile devices division.

He joined the tech giant nearly 40 years back. He began his career in the company's television business and became the chief executive officer in 2022.

As Samsung has a tradition of two CEOs at the same time, the other co-CEO is Jun Young-hyun, who is responsible for the company's chip business. Han Jong-hee was supposed to attend a launch event for Samsung's new home appliances on Wednesday.

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Exploring the net worth of Samsung's co-CEO Han Jong-hee

Born in 1962 in South Korea, Han Jong-hee earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Inha University. His education paved the way for his nearly four decades-long career in Samsung.

His professional journey included being a part of the Development Team in 1988 to propelling through the ranks over the years. By 2017, he was leading the visual display business, and then in 2022, he became the Vice Chairman and co-CEO.

He was leading the quality innovation committee, home appliances business, and the DX division. As per Analytics Insight, the net worth of Han Jong-hee is approximately $971,291 as of November 30, 2024.

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Samsung's latest challenges

Under Han's guidance, Samsung became one of the most successful tech giants, even though 2025 would be a difficult year for the company, as per Han.

In a shareholder meeting last week, Han told the investors that this year would be a tough time for the company as they will have to adjust their global supply chains and factories to handle the 25% tariffs imposed earlier in 2025 by US President Donald Trump. The tariffs would most likely affect the export of products such as home appliances and semiconductors to the US.

However, Han expressed his confidence that the company would be able to navigate these challenges by leveraging its extensive global supply chain and diversified production channels. The investors in the meeting were frustrated that the company didn't take advantage of the AI boom, which caused the company to perform poorly compared to other tech companies.

Here is what he said in the meeting:

''First and foremost, I sincerely apologise for the recent stock performance not meeting your expectations. Over the past year, our company failed to adequately respond to the rapidly evolving AI semiconductor market.''

As of yet, Han's successor has not been announced. Han leaves behind his wife and three children. His absence would affect the company's initiatives to improve the performance of its home appliance devices. While the company was already seeing a tough year ahead of the tariffs imposed, Han's death would affect the company's development, especially the marketing division.