Hong Ra-hee resigns from Leeum and Ho-Am Art Museum amid family legal issues
Hong Ra-hee has resigned from her position as the director of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, citing personal reasons for her decision. Additionally, she stepped down from her role at the Ho-Am Art Museum in Yongin, which features the private collection of Samsung's founder, Lee Byung-chul. Media outlets in Korea have linked her resignation to the indictment of her son, Lee Jae-yong, who is the acting head of Samsung Group, on charges of bribery and embezzlement. A prominent figure in the Korean art scene, Hong has been with Leeum since its inception in 2004. This resignation is her second; she previously left in 2008 amid her husband Lee Kun-hee's tax evasion scandal, returning in 2011. Art Asia Pacific reported her departure in March 2017.
Key facts
- Hong Ra-hee resigned as director of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul
- She also resigned as director of the Ho-Am Art Museum in Yongin
- Her resignation was linked in Korean media to her son Lee Jae-yong's indictment on bribery and embezzlement charges
- Hong had been director of Leeum since its opening in 2004
- She previously resigned in 2008 when her husband Lee Kun-hee was charged with tax evasion
- She returned as director in 2011 after the scandal abated
- The Ho-Am Art Museum houses the private collection of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul
- Art Asia Pacific reported the resignation in March 2017
Entities
Artists
- Hong Ra-hee
- Lee Byung-chul
- Lee Jae-yong
- Lee Kun-hee
Institutions
- Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art
- Ho-Am Art Museum
- Samsung Group
- Art Asia Pacific
Locations
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Yongin