Korean businesswoman (1979–2005)
Lee Yoon-hyung (Korean: 이윤형; Korean pronunciation: [ijunhjʌŋ]; died November 18, 2005) was a South Korean millionaire and daughter of Samsung Group chief Lee Kun-hee. She died by suicide by hanging herself in her New York City apartment on November 18, 2005, at the age of 26.[1]
Personal life
Lee was born in South Korea. Her father was Samsung chief 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]
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.[3]
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.[4] A doorman at her building told reporters that she sometimes stayed in her apartment for a week at a time,[4] and there were reports that her father had forbidden her to marry her middle-class Korean boyfriend.[4]
At the time of her death, Lee had a personal fortune of more than £100 million (US$157 million).[4]
