Samsung Electronics has just lost its Vice Chairman and co-CEO Han Jong-hee, who died at 63 following a cardiac arrest. According to company officials and industry sources, Han suffered a heart attack on Saturday and passed away at a hospital on Tuesday while receiving treatment.
Han’s role at Samsung
Following the news that Samsung co-CEO dies, some are reflecting on his role in shaping the company that we all know today.
Han actually played a central role in shaping Samsung’s dominance in consumer electronics. He joined Samsung Electronics in 1988 as a member of the TV development team and quickly rose through the ranks. Over nearly four decades, he became one of the driving forces behind the company’s advancements in display technology.
Under Han’s leadership, Samsung maintained its status as the world’s top TV brand for 19 consecutive years. His deep understanding of the television industry earned him recognition as an expert in the field. In 2021, Samsung promoted Han to vice chairman. Later in 2022, he took on the role of co-CEO. He led the Device Experience (DX) division, which oversaw Samsung’s TV, home appliances, and smartphone businesses.
While Han led the consumer electronics and mobile division, co-CEO Jun Young-hyun remained in charge of Samsung’s semiconductor business. Both executives helped steer Samsung through a volatile period. The company experienced stiff competition in the semiconductor industry. It also recently lost its smartphone market dominance to Apple.
Samsung has not named a successor yet.
Samsung’s dominance
Alongside companies like Apple, Samsung is one of the biggest consumer electronics manufacturers in the world. The company has a diverse portfolio of products. This includes its lineup of smartphones like the recently-launched Galaxy S25 series. It also helped kick off the foldables race with the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip series. But in addition to smartphones, Samsung also has other products under its belt, such as TVs, home appliances like smart refrigerators, smartwatches, vacuum cleaners, home and portable audio, and more.
Samsung has also diversified its offerings to include newer forms of technology, like AR/VR. The company is working with Google on a mixed-reality headset. Samsung was also one of the earlier smartphone makers to adopt AI in its mobile products with Galaxy AI.
