SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - Lee Ji-ho, the son of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, began his military service as a naval officer candidate with a ceremony in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province on Tuesday.
Of the 84 candidates who enrolled last Monday, 83 attended the ceremony after one male candidate withdrew. They will undergo 10 weeks of combat training, including marksmanship, chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) defense drills as well as exercises involving inflatable boats, before being commissioned as ensigns in late November.
Tuesday's ceremony was open only to the press, with no family or friends in attendance.
Lee, set to serve as an interpreter officer, gave up his U.S. citizenship to carry out his military duty in South Korea.
Earlier in 2014, Chey Min-jung, the daughter of SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won, drew attention by enrolling as a naval officer candidate, a rare move for a woman from a conglomerate family. Chey's case has sent a refreshing jolt through a world of privilege, where most scions of chaebol families are mysteriously exempt from mandatory military service.
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