On September 9, Defense Daily reported on a cooperation meeting between Rear Admiral Kang Jung-ho of the South Korean Navy and Rear Admiral Gregory Huffman of the U.S. Navy. During a visit to the U.S. Navy Education Command and the Recruiting Command last year, Admiral Kang proposed the establishment of a regular consultation body, which was accepted by the U.S. side, leading to the cooperation meeting.
Three weeks after the news coverage of the meeting, a photo has surfaced that has drawn attention. The image, provided by Defense Daily, features Lee Ji-ho, the son of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is seen interpreting next to Admiral Kang.
According to a report by Seoul Economic Daily, Lee Ji-ho is part of the Information Operations Office within the Navy's 5th Mine Countermeasures Group. However, due to a shortage of interpreters, he was assigned to assist with interpretation duties at the nearby Education Command.
Born in the United States, Lee Ji-ho holds dual citizenship in South Korea and the U.S. Under current law, dual nationals must renounce their foreign citizenship to serve as officers. Consequently, he gave up his U.S. citizenship and enlisted in the Navy as part of the 139th Naval Academy Officer Candidate Class in September of last year, being commissioned as an officer in November.
Lee Ji-ho is set to be promoted to lieutenant on December 1 of this year, with a scheduled discharge date of November 30, 2028.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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