Lee Yoon-hyung
Encyclopedia
Lee Yoon-hyung was a South Korea
n millionaire
and daughter of billionaire
former Samsung Group
chief Lee Kun-hee
. She committed suicide
by hanging in her Astor Place
apartment in the East Village, Manhattan
on November 18, 2005.
Her cause of death was originally reported in both American and South Korean newspapers as a car crash due the social stigma against suicide, but the actual details were subsequently published after inquiries by reporters from The Korea Times
. At the time of her death, Ms. Lee was a graduate student at the New York University
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and her father was in the United States undergoing treatment for lung cancer
. A doorman at her building
told reporters that she sometimes stayed in her apartment for a week at a time, and there were reports that her father had forbidden her to marry her Korean boyfriend. At the time of her death, Ms. Lee had a personal fortune of more than $
157m.
Ms. Lee was a graduate of Ewha Woman's University in Seoul
with a degree in French literature
. She was survived by her parents, her brother, Lee Jae-yong, and two sisters, Lee Pu-jin and Lee Seo-hyun. Her parents did not attend her funeral.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n millionaire
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
and daughter of billionaire
Billionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
former Samsung Group
Samsung Group
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
chief Lee Kun-hee
Lee Kun-hee
Lee Kun-hee is Chairman of Samsung Electronics. He resigned on April 21, 2008 owing to Samsung Slush funds scandal, but returned on March 24, 2010. Lee has a degree in economics from Waseda University in Tokyo and attended an MBA course at George Washington University in the United States in 1966...
. She committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by hanging in her Astor Place
Astor Place (Manhattan)
__notoc__Astor Place is a short two-block street in lower Manhattan, New York City, which runs from Broadway just below East 8th Street, through Lafayette Street, past Cooper Square and Fourth Avenue, and ends at Third Avenue and St. Marks Place. The name is also used for the neighborhood around...
apartment in the East Village, Manhattan
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
on November 18, 2005.
Her cause of death was originally reported in both American and South Korean newspapers as a car crash due the social stigma against suicide, but the actual details were subsequently published after inquiries by reporters from The Korea Times
The Korea Times
The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea, along with The Korea Herald and The JoongAng Daily. It is part of the same newspaper group as Hankook Ilbo, a major Korean language daily...
. At the time of her death, Ms. Lee was a graduate student at the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and her father was in the United States undergoing treatment for lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. A doorman at her building
Astor Place (Manhattan)
__notoc__Astor Place is a short two-block street in lower Manhattan, New York City, which runs from Broadway just below East 8th Street, through Lafayette Street, past Cooper Square and Fourth Avenue, and ends at Third Avenue and St. Marks Place. The name is also used for the neighborhood around...
told reporters that she sometimes stayed in her apartment for a week at a time, and there were reports that her father had forbidden her to marry her Korean boyfriend. At the time of her death, Ms. Lee had a personal fortune of more than $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
157m.
Ms. Lee was a graduate of Ewha Woman's University in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
with a degree in French literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
. She was survived by her parents, her brother, Lee Jae-yong, and two sisters, Lee Pu-jin and Lee Seo-hyun. Her parents did not attend her funeral.