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Lee Boo Jin

Lee Boo Jin, 55, has emerged as one of South Korea’s most powerful business figures, according to news outlet Preview. Often dubbed “Little Lee Kun Hee” by local media for her sharp business acumen, she currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Hotel Shilla, one of the country’s most prestigious luxury hotel operators and its second-largest duty-free retailer after Lotte.

Her rise has not been without personal challenges. According to the South China Morning PostLee Boo Jin suffered from health problems during childhood, prompting her family to change her given name from Lee Yoo Jin to Lee Boo Jin, a move widely believed by the public to reflect hopes for greater strength and prosperity. Media reports said her health improved following the change.

Unlike some of her siblings who studied abroad, Lee Boo Jin pursued higher education in South Korea, earning a degree in children’s studies from Yonsei University.

In 1999, at age 29, she married Im Woo Jae, a former Samsung employee from a modest background, drawing widespread public attention. The marriage, controversial from the outset, ended in divorce in 2020. Lee Boo Jin retained custody of their son and paid 14.1 billion won (US$9.5 million) as part of the settlement, reported The Korea Herald.

Beyond business, she is also known for her philanthropy. She serves as director of the Dooeul Scholarship Foundation, which supports women’s education. Anecdotes of her quiet generosity, including offering hotel rooms to fire victims and personally checking on a taxi driver involved in an accident at Hotel Shilla, have reinforced her reputation as a hands-on leader.

As of Dec. 17, Lee Boo Jin’s net worth is estimated at about US$6 billion. She ranked 90th on Forbes’s list of the world’s most powerful women this year and is currently South Korea’s ninth-richest individual.

Lee Seo Hyun

Lee Seo Hyun, 52, Lee Boo Jin’s younger sister, has built a distinct legacy by blending corporate life with cultural and artistic influence. A graduate of New York’s Parsons School of Design, she began her career in Samsung C&T’s fashion division after graduation, overseeing brand licensing and acquisitions. She also played a key role in launching Korean fashion labels such as Bean Pole and the streetwear brand Nonagon, in partnership with YG Entertainment. In 2010, she became the first Korean to serve on the advisory board of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Lee Seo Hyun later deepened her engagement with the arts by heading the Leeum Museum of Art, a flagship cultural institution founded by her family. She also leads the Samsung Welfare Foundation, which focuses on child care and social services for underserved communities.

She has served as the president of Samsung C&T since March 2024 as president, overseeing strategic planning. Married to Kim Jae Yeol, the son of a former honorary president of Dong-A Ilbo, she is the mother of four children.

With an estimated net worth of US$5.6 billion, Lee Seo Hyun ranks as South Korea’s 11th-richest person as of Dec. 17.

Lee Yoon Hyung

In contrast to her sisters’ public prominence, Lee Yoon Hyung, the youngest of the three, lived a largely private life.

A graduate student in art at New York University, she reportedly struggled with loneliness and depression while living in the U.S, according to The Guardian. She had planned to return to Seoul after completing her studies to help manage the family’s Leeum Museum of Art.

Media reports said her relationship with then-boyfriend Shin Soo Bin, who came from a middle-class family, faced opposition from her family, adding to her emotional distress.

In December 2005, she was found dead in her Manhattan apartment at the age of 26.