Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong visits company's newly built North America headquarters

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Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong visits company's newly built North America headquarters

Published: 09 Sep. 2025, 11:53 Updated: 09 Sep. 2025, 19:21

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong visits North America headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, during his trip to the United States. After receiving a briefing on U.S. operations, he shared a casual meal with employees in the cafeteria. Photo provided by reader. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the company’s newly opened North America headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, late last month, industry insiders told the JoongAng Ilbo Tuesday.

The visit is seen as a move to check on the U.S. market as trade risks rise under the Donald Trump administration’s tariffs.

The trip came after Lee wrapped up his schedule as part of a business delegation that accompanied President Lee Jae Myung for the Korea-U.S. summit in Washington, and before his return to Seoul, according to the sources.

Lee toured the new building with senior executives including Vice Chairman Chung Hyun-ho. Yoonie Joung, executive vice president and CEO of Samsung Electronics America (SEA), guided the tour.

After receiving a briefing on U.S. operations, Lee had lunch with employees in the company cafeteria and posed for selfies at their request. He then flew home from Newark Airport on a chartered plane.

SEA relocated to Englewood Cliffs from Ridgefield Park for the first time in 15 years. The new headquarters, a former Unilever USA building remodeled by Samsung, officially opened in mid-August.

Located across the Hudson River from Manhattan and near LG Electronics’ North America headquarters, the 325,000-square-foot office is larger than the previous site and designed as an open, smart workspace. Around 1,000 employees work there.

The North America office oversees sales of Samsung’s televisions, smartphones and other consumer products in the United States. It posted 20.4 trillion won ($14.7 billion) in revenue in the first half of this year, the largest among Samsung’s overseas operations. Net profit rose about 181 percent from a year earlier to 939.8 billion won.

In addition to managing sales, SEA serves as Samsung’s channel of communication with the U.S. government. The North America unit manages the company’s U.S. lobbying budget, according to political funding records. Last year, it spent $5.45 million on political activities.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK HAE-LEE, LEE GA-RAM [[email protected]]