| Lee Yoon-hyung | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 26, 1979 South Korea |
| Died | November 18, 2005 (aged 26) Astor Place, East Village, Manhattan, New York City, United States |
| Parents | Lee Kun-hee |
| Lee Yoon-hyung | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 이윤형 |
Lee Yoon-hyung (Hangul: 이윤형; April 26, 1979-November 18, 2005) was a South Korean 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.[1]
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.[1] 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.[2] A doorman at her building told reporters that she sometimes stayed in her apartment for a week at a time,[2] and there were reports that her father had forbidden her to marry her Korean boyfriend.[2] At the time of her death, Ms. Lee had a personal fortune of more than $157m.[2]
Ms. Lee was a graduate of Ewha Woman's University in Seoul with a degree in French literature.[3] She was survived by her parents, her brother, Lee Jae-yong, and two sisters, Lee Pu-jin and Lee Seo-hyun.[2] Her parents did not attend her funeral.[3]