Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee passed away from a heart attack on Tuesday, at the age of 63.

According to industry sources, Han collapsed from cardiac arrest while resting over the weekend and did not recover. His sudden passing has left employees and the electronics industry in shock and sorrow, as he had remained active in his role until just days prior — embarking on a business trip to China and overseeing Samsung’s regular shareholders meeting last week.

“A towering figure in Korea’s electronics industry is gone,” said one industry official in tribute.

Having dedicated more than 30 years to the TV sector, Han was widely recognized as a driving force behind Samsung’s dominance in the global TV market. He played a key role in helping the company secure the No. 1 position in revenue for 19 consecutive years, starting in 2005.

Born in 1963, Han graduated from Inha University with a degree in electronic engineering. He joined Samsung Electronics as a developer in 1988 and built his career in TV development, contributing to Samsung’s transition across generations of display technology — from CRTs to PDP, LCD, 3D and QLED TVs.

In recognition of his achievements, Han was appointed president and head of the Visual Display Business in 2017. In 2021, he was promoted to vice chairman and head of the Device eXperience (DX) Division, overseeing Samsung’s electronics and consumer device businesses. He was later named co-chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics in 2022.

During the company’s most recent personnel reshuffle in December 2023, Han was also appointed to lead Samsung’s Quality Innovation Committee.

He was widely praised for his active yet humble leadership, both within and outside the company. Having risen through the ranks, Han was respected for his approachable management style and innovative spirit. When he was appointed to lead the TV division in 2017, Samsung described him as a leader who would “drive a second leap forward in the TV business through relentless innovation.”

With his engineering expertise, Han also served as chairman of the Korea Electronics Association from 2022 and was awarded the 27th Grand Prize by the National Academy of Engineering of Korea in 2023.

He made his international debut as a company spokesperson with a keynote address at CES 2022, the world’s largest annual tech show, and continued to represent Samsung at major global events. He also frequently accompanied Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong to key business meetings.

Most recently, Han presided over Samsung’s annual shareholders meeting on March 19, where he presented the company’s yearly performance and expressed his gratitude to shareholders.

“In times of difficulty, we should return to the fundamentals — creating the best products and services based on talent and technology, and contributing to human society,” Han said during the meeting.

“We will strengthen our foundation for a rebound in existing businesses through technology leadership and continue to pursue new growth engines in emerging areas such as robotics, med-tech and next-generation semiconductors," he said.

Following the shareholders meeting, Han traveled to China to attend AWE 2025, a major tech exhibition and held meetings with local business partners.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is currently on a business trip in China, expressed his condolences. However, due to previously scheduled engagements, Lee is unable to return to Korea immediately, according to industry sources.

On Tuesday, Samsung officially announced through a regulatory filing that Vice Chairman and Co-CEO Jun Young-hyun will now serve as the sole CEO of Samsung Electronics.