Lee Jae-yong's Eldest Son Ji-ho Enlists with Family Farewell

[Financial News] Lee Ji-ho, the eldest son of Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, enlisted as a naval officer on the 15th with his family seeing him off.
Mr. Lee enlisted in the 139th class of naval officer candidates at the Jinhae Base Command in Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, on the afternoon of the same day. His mother, Im Se-ryeong, Vice Chairman of Daesang Holdings, and his younger sister, Lee Won-joo, accompanied him to the enlistment site. It is known that his father, Lee Jae-yong, could not see him off due to work commitments.

Mr. Lee is set to undergo basic military training and officer education for 11 weeks as a 139th class naval officer candidate and will be commissioned as a naval ensign. The total military service period, including the training period and the mandatory service period of 36 months after commissioning, is 39 months. Mr. Lee's position is known to be an interpreter officer on a ship. Born in the United States in 2000, Mr. Lee, who holds dual citizenship in Korea and the United States, gave up his U.S. citizenship to fulfill his military duty as a naval officer. Dual citizens must give up their foreign citizenship to serve as officers rather than ordinary soldiers. The business community has evaluated Mr. Lee's choice to enlist as a naval officer, despite being able to maintain his dual citizenship status as an ordinary soldier, as 'noblesse oblige.' On average, only about 100 cases per year involve military service candidates with U.S. permanent residency or citizenship applying for voluntary enlistment. ehcho@fnnews.com Cho Eun-hyo Reporter