Samsung heiress among the world’s ‘prettiest’ billionaires
Samsung C&T’s fashion group president Lee Seo-hyun was the only Korean who made it to Forbes’ list of youngest billionaires in the world in 2013
By Park Jae-hyuk
Samsung C&T’s fashion group President Lee Seo-hyun has been selected as one of the 10 most beautiful female billionaires in the world by Trendchaser, a U.S.-based outlet specialising in entertainment trends and news.
Lee is a daughter of Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee. Her older brother is Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung, and her older sister is Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin.
Trendchaser introduced 10 female billionaires aged between 19 and 50 under the headline “Youth, Fame, Beauty, and Fortune: These Ladies Have it All.” It named Virgin Group heiress Holly Branson, Ralph Lauren’s daughter Dylan Lauren and Hearst heiress Amanda Hearst as well.
Trendchaser wrote that some of them made their fortunes on their own, while others inherited the family business.
Although the 44-year-old executive seems to be closer to the latter, the report noted she expanded the company’s business horizons into fashion and chemicals. She was also responsible for buying Italy-based fashion house Colombo Via Della Spiga.
It also mentioned that she engineered a merger with Samsung SDI and Samsung Everland, making them the leading producer of energy storage systems.
The article estimated her fortune at US$1.3 billion.
According to Forbes Korea, however, the heiress has 1.7 trillion won (US$1.5 billion) as of April, as the 18th-wealthiest person in Korea, despite her fashion brand’s losses in China amid a row over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile battery.
Over the past few years, she has been in the limelight in foreign media. She was the only Korean who made it to Forbes’ list of youngest billionaires in the world in 2013.
In 2012, Forbes Asia included her as one of Asia’s most powerful businesswomen to watch, together with her older sister.
