Leeum's Hong Ra-hee receives Order of Civil Merit for cultural contributions
Hong Ra-hee, honorary director of the Leeum Museum of Art and mother of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, received the Dongbaek Medal, the third-highest grade of Korea's Order of Civil Merit, for her more than four decades of contributions to culture, health care and social welfare, the Samsung Foundation of Culture said on Monday. The award recognizes contributions to public welfare and…
Honorary director of the Leeum Museum of Art, Leeum s Hong Ra-hee, has been awarded the Dongbaek Medal, the third-highest grade of Korea's Order of Civil Merit, for her extensive contributions to culture, health care, and social welfare. The award, which recognizes contributions to public welfare and national development, comes after Hong received the Korean Red Cross’ gold humanitarian medal in 2024.
A graduate of Seoul National University with a degree in applied arts, Hong has been an influential figure in Korea's art world for over four decades. She served as the director of the Hoam Museum of Art from 1995 to 2017 before becoming the honorary director of Leeum in 2025. The Samsung family's influence in Korea spans generations, from the founder's collection of Korean antiquities to Hong's role in developing the museum's modern and contemporary holdings.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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