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Eldest son of Hotel Shilla CEO accepted to Seoul National University

Published: 12 Dec. 2025, 11:22

Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin speaks at an event held at the Incheon International Airport on Oct. 23. [YONHAP]

The eldest son of Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin has been accepted to Seoul National University through the university’s early admission process.

Lee's son, surnamed Lim, was named in the list of final successful applicants released on Thursday for the 2026 academic year, according to the university. He reportedly applied to the Department of Economics. Admitted students must register between Monday and Wednesday.

Lim recently drew attention for receiving a high score on the College Scholastic Ability Test for the 2026 academic year. That fact became widely known after Park Sun-young, the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, posted about it on her social media earlier this month.

Lim graduated from Whimoon Middle School and Whimoon High School in Gangnam. According to school sources, he consistently ranked among the top students in the humanities track and was especially strong in mathematics. Although some speculated he might switch to the sciences, he ultimately stayed in the humanities. In Daechi-dong, southern Seoul, the nation’s most popular private education district, he was regarded as a diligent student who balanced private tutoring and group study sessions, and was also known to have had good relationships with his peers.

He completed his entire primary and secondary education in Korea. In 2018, Lee changed her registered residence from Itaewon-dong in Yongsan District, central Seoul, to Daechi-dong in Gangnam, reportedly for her son’s education. She has since moved back to Itaewon.

If Lim enters Seoul National University next year as part of the Class of 2026, he will be following in the footsteps of his uncle, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who entered the university in 1987 as an East Asian history major.

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 BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]