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Samsung scion will be flag representative at naval officer commissioning ceremony Friday

Published: 25 Nov. 2025, 19:41

Lee Ji-ho, the son of Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, salutes during the entrance ceremony for the Navy’s 139th class of officer candidates at the Republic of Korea Naval Academy in Changwon, South Gyeongsang on Sept. 23. [YONHAP]

Lee Ji-ho, the son of Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, will serve as the flag representative at his commissioning ceremony, scheduled to take place on Friday. He joined the Navy in September after renouncing his U.S. citizenship.

The Navy said on Tuesday that Lee will command the entire group of candidates at the commissioning ceremony for the 139th class of officer candidates at the Republic of Korea Naval Academy in Changwon, South Gyeongsang. The class consists of 84 candidates, including Lee.

Navy officials said Lee earned the role by showing exemplary conduct during training, adding that he worked closely with fellow candidates and actively participated in drills.

Lee was born in the United States in 2000 and held dual citizenship. He renounced his U.S. citizenship to fulfill his military duty before entering the Navy as an officer on Sept. 15. Dual citizens cannot serve as officers in the Korean military because of security regulations.

He is expected to serve as an interpreter officer after completing 11 weeks of training and receiving his commission as an ensign. His service will total 39 months, including 36 months of mandatory duty after three months of training.

The officer service period in Korea is 39 months across all branches, compared to 18 months for Army enlistees, 20 months in the Navy and 21 months in the Air Force.

Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong is expected to attend the ceremony. He did not appear at the entry ceremony when his son first arrived for training.

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 KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]