Close aide to Samsung founder dedicates life to education, culture

Chun Shin-il, late chairman of Sejoong Group, attends a ceremony at Korea University in Seoul in this 2018 photo. Korea Times file

Chun Shin-il, the late chairman of Sejoong Group, was best known during his lifetime for his unwavering commitment to philanthropy, education and cultural heritage.

He passed away Wednesday at the age of 83. Chun had deep ties in Korea’s political and business circles, including a close relationship with Lee Byung-chul, the late founder of Samsung Group, and his successor Lee Kun-hee.

Their longstanding relationship helped Sejoong secure travel outsourcing contracts with major Samsung affiliates for many years and cemented the group’s position in the local travel industry.

Chun founded the firm in 1982 and developed it into a mid-sized conglomerate combining travel and IT businesses.

He was deeply committed to promoting education during his lifetime. Chun donated 208,000 square meters of land for the establishment of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), one of Korea’s leading universities.

Chun is also famous for having donated more than 14 billion won ($9.32 million) to Korea University, Yonsei University and the National Museum of Korea as part of his strong commitment to philanthropy and education.

As a passionate cultural preservationist, Chun also devoted much of his later life to collecting and restoring traditional stone artifacts. He founded Sejoong Old Stone Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in 2000. He relocated it to Seoul in 2015 and changed its name to the Korean Stone Art Museum, which exhibits some 2,000 examples of stone artifacts.

He also led efforts to repatriate national treasures and other relics that had been taken to Japan. In 2001, he brought back 70 stone artifacts during his visits to Japan and displayed some of them at the museum.

The late businessman is also widely known for his extensive personal network spanning not just the business circles, but also politics and even sports. He maintained a lifelong friendship with former President Lee Myung-bak.

His ties to the family that founded Samsung Group also led him to serve major roles in sports organizations. At the recommendation of Lee Kun-hee, Chun worked as president of the Korea Wrestling Federation and as a standing member of the Korean Olympic Committee.