Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong to Acquire USD 1.45 Billion Stake From Mother
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong plans to acquire a 1.94 trillion won ($1.45 billion) stake in the memory-chip and smartphone maker from his mother, Hong Ra-hee.
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong plans to acquire a 1.94 trillion won ($1.45 billion) stake in the memory-chip and smartphone maker from his mother, Hong Ra-hee. According to a regulatory filing submitted to South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service, the off-market transaction will involve 7,188,793 common shares, representing roughly 0.11% of the company's total outstanding stock. The acquisition is scheduled to close on October 12.
The move allows the tech chief to solidify his personal holding in the crown jewel of South Korea’s largest business group while enabling his family to satisfy remaining debt tied to a massive inheritance tax bill.
Transaction Details and Executive Share Holding
Under the disclosed terms, the planned acquisition price is set at 269,500 won per share. The valuation reflects the stock's recent closing price prior to the filing, though regulatory rules allow the final settlement amount to adjust within a 70% to 130% range depending on market shifts closer to the transaction date. Upon completion, Lee’s personal shareholding in Samsung Electronics will rise from 1.47% (97.55 million shares) to 1.58% (104.74 million shares), pushing his ownership above the 100 million share mark for the first time. Meanwhile, Hong’s common stock holding will adjust downward from 1.25% to approximately 1.13%.
Managing the Legacy Inheritance Tax Load
Industry observers view the intra-family arrangement as part of the Lee family's ongoing effort to clear financial obligations following the death of former Chairman Lee Kun-hee in late 2020. The late chairman left behind an estate valued at roughly 26 trillion won ($19.4 billion), triggering a record inheritance tax liability of approximately 12 trillion won ($9.0 billion). The family paid off the multi-trillion-won tax bill in six installments over five years, completing the final payment in April.
To fund those installments, Hong—the former honorary director of the Leeum Museum of Art—and her daughters took out significant bank loans using their shareholdings as collateral, in addition to conducting open-market stock sales. Capital generated from selling her stake directly to her son will likely be deployed to settle those institutional loan debts.
Market analysts note that transferring equity internally rather than liquidating it through open-market transactions prevents potential price volatility for Samsung Electronics stock. Because the shares remain within the immediate family, the aggregate stake held by the founding family remains unchanged. As a result, analysts view the governance impact as neutral to constructive, providing structural clarity to shareholders while avoiding the downward pressure of a large public block trade.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2026 05:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
