Summary
Lee Yoon-hyung (Korean: 이윤형; Korean pronunciation: [ijunhjʌŋ]; 1979 - 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]
Lee Yoon-hyung | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 이윤형 [citation needed] |
| Died | (aged 26) New York City, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Education | Ewha Womans University (BA) NYU Steinhardt |
| Parent(s) | Lee Kun-hee Hong Ra-hee |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이윤형 |
| Hanja | 李尹馨 |
| Revised Romanization | I Yun-hyeong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yi Yun-hyŏng |
Personal life edit
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 edit
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]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Baker, Al (2005-11-26). "After Samsung Reports Accident, Painful Details of Suicide Emerge". The New York Times.
- ^ Kim, Min-hee (2005-11-22). "Samsung chairman's youngest daughter". Daum.
- ^ 三星会长幼女自杀引发思考:灿烂背后的焦虑(图) Archived 2017-10-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved in 2016-08-12
- ^ a b c d Marks, Kathy (2005-11-30). "The high life and lonely death of Lee Yoon-hyung". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-06-02.