Samsung Electronics co-CEO Jong-Hee Han died from a heart attack on Tuesday at age 63, the company confirmed.
Han, who took over as CEO and vice-chairman in 2022 and oversaw the company’s consumer electronics and smartphone divisions, died after being treated for cardiac arrest at a hospital, the company said.
“Our deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Samsung said.
Young-Hyun Jun, who heads up Samsung’s computer chip and components division, will serve as the company’s sole CEO following Han’s death, the company said in a regulatory filing.
Shares of Samsung were down slightly on South Korea’s stock exchange following the announcement.
The tech giant has struggled to keep pace with key rivals in computer chip development in recent quarters as the sector makes massive investments in artificial intelligence. Key rival Apple also passed Samsung and became the world’s top seller of smartphones in January.
Overall, Samsung’s stock has fallen more than 20% over the last year.
Han had apologized for Samsung’s recent slump during the shareholder meeting last week. He also vowed that Samsung would adapt to any challenges posed by President Trump’s tariff plans.
“First and foremost, I sincerely apologize 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,” Han said at the time.
A longtime Samsung executive, Han had worked at the company since 1988 and was widely credited with helping turn the South Korea-based firm into the world’s top TV manufacturer.
In April 2024, Samsung said it would double its investment in Texas to $44 billion while building out new chip manufacturing capabilities in the state.
With Post wires
