According to a report by South Korean media Chosun, Lee Jae-yong’s son, Lee Ji-ho, will renounce his US citizenship and serve in the military in South Korea.
Lee Ji-ho will enlist on September 15 as a candidate for the 139th naval officer class. Samsung Electronics stated: “Mr. Lee Ji-ho has renounced his US citizenship to fulfill his military service obligations. He plans to serve for 39 months, and after 11 weeks of training, he will be commissioned as an ensign in the navy on December 1.”
Born in the United States in 2000, Lee Ji-ho previously held dual South Korean and US citizenship. He completed his high school education in Canada and then attended a university in France, where he continued his studies in the United States as an exchange student.
It is extremely rare for members of the Samsung family to serve in the military, making Lee Ji-ho’s decision particularly noteworthy. A business insider commented: “Many dual citizens can be exempt from military service or choose to serve as enlisted personnel, which means a shorter service period than officers. Lee Ji-ho chose the officer path, which involves more than twice the service time of an enlisted soldier.”
Previously, Lee Jae-yong had stated that he “does not intend to pass on the company’s management control to his children.”
