Samsung Chief Lee Jae-yong Wraps Up Europe Visit, Includes Vatican and Zeiss

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong returned to Seoul this Friday after a crucial ten-day European trip, where he met with Pope Francis and explored potential business collaborations.

The Korea Herald reported that Lee conducted site inspections of the organization's operations in Germany, France, and Italy throughout the ten-day trip.

Upon arriving at the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center, he told reporters that "the spring has come" without providing additional context. He declined to answer further questions concerning his trip.

A Meeting with Pope Francis

Lee met Pope Francis for the first time on April 27 at the Vatican. Cardinal You Heung-sik, the fourth South Korean to be nominated to the post and the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy since 2021, orchestrated the meeting.

The Korea JoongAng Daily shares that Davide Corte, head of the IT division at Samsung Electronics Italia, and Nam Seok-woo, president of Samsung Electronics, were also present, underscoring the meeting's importance.

Samsung's Olympic Commitment in Paris

The chairman also visited Paris after concluding his tour of Germany and Italy to inspect the Samsung Olympic Experience Zone, which the technology behemoth inaugurated in the French capital a month before the upcoming Olympics.

According to Samsung, the Olympic edition of Galaxy smartphone models is on exhibit at the location, which Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Jean Nouvel created. Samsung is an official partner of the International Olympic Committee.

Zeiss and Samsung Forge Ahead

Earlier this week, Lee also met with top executives from German optics company Zeiss, a key partner in the Korean tech giant's effort to lead the booming market for AI chips.

He visited the Zeiss headquarters in Oberkochen and discussed long-term collaborations with Zeiss Group CEO Karl Lamprecht and Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology CO Andreas Pecher.

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