Samsung chief joins chip industry leaders at Korean art gala in London
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, left, greets U.K.'s Princess Anne, second from right, and other dignitaries who visited the company's third global exhibition showcasing the art collection of late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee at the British Museum in London, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong joined global business leaders at a London gala celebrating a Korean art exhibition on Wednesday (local time), bringing cultural outreach and semiconductor partnerships together at the British Museum in the United Kingdom.
About 240 political, business and cultural figures attended the dinner. Britain's Princess Anne attended a reception beforehand to mark the exhibition's opening.
The exhibition, “Korea: 2,000 Years of Creativity,” explores 2,000 years of Korean creativity through works from the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's collection. It is the museum's first major Korean art exhibition since 1984, according to Samsung.
Jointly organized by the British Museum, the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, it follows exhibitions in Washington and Chicago. London is the third overseas stop.
Guests included ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet, Merck CEO Kai Beckmann, ZEISS CEO Andreas Pecher and Imec CEO Patrick Vandenameele, whose organizations cooperate with Samsung on semiconductor technology.
ASML supplies extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, while Merck and ZEISS specialize in semiconductor materials and optics, respectively. Research institute Imec collaborates with Samsung on next-generation chip technologies.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, U.K's Princess Anne and British Museum Chairman George Osborne, left, meet British veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, during an exhibition gala dinner at the British Museum in London, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung said the gathering offered an opportunity to strengthen relationships with key partners and explore future business cooperation amid growing uncertainty in the global business environment.
Lee thanked three Korean War veterans attending the dinner and expressed appreciation to Princess Anne for honoring fallen veterans during her July visit to the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan. He highlighted ties between Korea and Britain spanning more than 140 years.
In his remarks, Lee described his family's commitment to preserving cultural heritage, tracing it from his grandfather — Samsung Group Founder Lee Byung-chul — through his father and mother.
“For generations, our family has upheld the principle that art and culture should be preserved and shared,” Lee said. “I hope this exhibition will offer an opportunity to understand 2,000 years of Korean creativity and cultural heritage.”
Samsung said the Washington exhibition, which opened last November, attracted about 80,000 visitors, the highest attendance for a special exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in a decade. Chicago's exhibition, which ran from March to July, drew about 115,000 visitors.