Samsung chief joins chip industry leaders at Korean art gala in London

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong joined global business leaders at a London gala on Wednesday local time at the British Museum. The event marked the opening of the Korean art exhibition Korea: 2,000 Years of Creativity and brought together cultural outreach and semiconductor partnerships. About 240 political, business and cultural figures attended, and Princess Anne also attended a reception beforehand.

The exhibition is the British Museum’s first major Korean art exhibition since 1984, according to Samsung.

The show was jointly organized by the British Museum, the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.

Guests included ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet, Merck CEO Kai Beckmann, ZEISS CEO Andreas Pecher and Imec CEO Patrick Vandenameele.

Samsung said the Washington exhibition attracted about 80,000 visitors, while the Chicago exhibition drew about 115,000 visitors.

Published Oct 1, 2026 3:18 pm KST

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, left, greets U.K.'s Princess Anne, second from right, and other dignitaries who visited the company's third global exhibition showcasing the art collection of late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee at the British Museum in London, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong joined global business leaders at a London gala celebrating a Korean art exhibition on Wednesday (local time), bringing cultural outreach and semiconductor partnerships together at the British Museum in the United Kingdom.

About 240 political, business and cultural figures attended the dinner. Britain's Princess Anne attended a reception beforehand to mark the exhibition's opening.

The exhibition, “Korea: 2,000 Years of Creativity,” explores 2,000 years of Korean creativity through works from the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's collection. It is the museum's first major Korean art exhibition since 1984, according to Samsung.

Jointly organized by the British Museum, the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, it follows exhibitions in Washington and Chicago. London is the third overseas stop.

Guests included ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet, Merck CEO Kai Beckmann, ZEISS CEO Andreas Pecher and Imec CEO Patrick Vandenameele, whose organizations cooperate with Samsung on semiconductor technology.

ASML supplies extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, while Merck and ZEISS specialize in semiconductor materials and optics, respectively. Research institute Imec collaborates with Samsung on next-generation chip technologies.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, U.K's Princess Anne and British Museum Chairman George Osborne, left, meet British veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, during an exhibition gala dinner at the British Museum in London, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Samsung said the gathering offered an opportunity to strengthen relationships with key partners and explore future business cooperation amid growing uncertainty in the global business environment.

Lee thanked three Korean War veterans attending the dinner and expressed appreciation to Princess Anne for honoring fallen veterans during her July visit to the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan. He highlighted ties between Korea and Britain spanning more than 140 years.

In his remarks, Lee described his family's commitment to preserving cultural heritage, tracing it from his grandfather — Samsung Group Founder Lee Byung-chul — through his father and mother.

“For generations, our family has upheld the principle that art and culture should be preserved and shared,” Lee said. “I hope this exhibition will offer an opportunity to understand 2,000 years of Korean creativity and cultural heritage.”

Samsung said the Washington exhibition, which opened last November, attracted about 80,000 visitors, the highest attendance for a special exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in a decade. Chicago's exhibition, which ran from March to July, drew about 115,000 visitors.

三星电子执行会长李在镕于当地时间周三出席了在伦敦大英博物馆举行的盛大晚宴，与众多全球商界领袖齐聚一堂。此次活动标志着韩国艺术展“韩国：两千年的创造力”的开幕，并促进了文化交流与半导体合作。约240位政界、商界和文化界人士出席了晚宴，安妮公主也出席了之前的招待会。

据三星称，这是大英博物馆自 1984 年以来举办的首个大型韩国艺术展。

本次展览由大英博物馆、韩国国立中央博物馆和韩国国立现代美术馆联合举办。

出席嘉宾包括 ASML 首席执行官 Christophe Fouquet、默克首席执行官 Kai Beckmann、蔡司首席执行官 Andreas Pecher 和 Imec 首席执行官 Patrick Vandenameele。

三星表示，华盛顿展览吸引了约 8 万名参观者，而芝加哥展览吸引了约 11.5 万名参观者。

发布于2026年10月1日下午3:18（韩国标准时间）

三星电子执行会长李在镕（左）周三（当地时间）在伦敦大英博物馆会见了参观该公司第三次全球展览的英国安妮公主（右二）及其他贵宾。此次展览展出了已故三星集团会长李健熙的艺术收藏。图片由三星电子提供。

三星电子执行董事长李在镕周三（当地时间）与全球商业领袖齐聚伦敦，参加在大英博物馆举行的韩国艺术展庆祝活动，该展览将文化交流与半导体合作相结合。

约有240位政界、商界和文化界人士出席了晚宴。英国安妮公主此前出席了为庆祝展览开幕而举办的招待会。

此次名为“韩国：两千年的创造力”的展览，通过已故三星集团会长李健熙的藏品，探索了韩国两千年的创造力。据三星集团称，这是该博物馆自1984年以来举办的首个大型韩国艺术展。

本次展览由大英博物馆、韩国国立中央博物馆和韩国国立现代美术馆联合举办，此前已在华盛顿和芝加哥展出。伦敦是此次展览的第三站海外巡回展。

出席嘉宾包括 ASML 首席执行官 Christophe Fouquet、默克首席执行官 Kai Beckmann、蔡司首席执行官 Andreas Pecher 和 Imec 首席执行官 Patrick Vandenameele，他们的机构都与三星在半导体技术方面开展合作。

ASML供应极紫外光刻设备，而默克和蔡司分别专注于半导体材料和光学器件。研究机构Imec与三星合作开发下一代芯片技术。

周三（当地时间），在伦敦大英博物馆举办的展览晚宴上，三星电子董事长李在镕、英国安妮公主和英国博物馆馆长乔治·奥斯本（左）会见了参加过1950-1953年朝鲜战争的英国老兵。图片由三星电子提供。

三星表示，此次聚会提供了一个机会，可以在全球商业环境日益不确定的情况下，加强与重要合作伙伴的关系，并探索未来的业务合作。

李在晚宴上感谢三位出席的朝鲜战争老兵，并对安妮公主七月访问釜山联合国纪念公墓期间缅怀阵亡老兵表示感谢。他还强调了韩国和英国之间长达140多年的友好关系。

李在讲话中描述了他的家族致力于保护文化遗产，并追溯了这一传统，从他的祖父——三星集团创始人李秉喆——到他的父母。

李先生说：“我们家族世世代代都秉持着艺术文化应该被保护和传承的原则。我希望这次展览能让大家有机会了解韩国两千年的创造力和文化遗产。”

三星表示，去年11月开幕的华盛顿展览吸引了约8万名参观者，这是史密森尼国家亚洲艺术博物馆十年来举办的特展的最高参观人数。芝加哥的展览从3月持续到7月，吸引了约11.5万名参观者。