Hong Ra-hee, honorary director of Leeum Museum of Art, receives Order of Civil Merit for four decades of philanthropy

Hong Ra-hee, honorary director of Leeum Museum of Art, received the Dongbaek Medal of the Order of Civil Merit on Monday in recognition of her contributions to public welfare and national development.

The honor follows the Red Cross humanitarian gold medal she received in 2024, together recognizing more than four decades of giving across culture, medicine and welfare. The Dongbaek Medal is the third-highest grade of the Order of Civil Merit, ranking below the top-tier Mugunghwa Medal and the second-tier Moran Medal.

Since the death of her late husband, Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, Hong and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and other family members have been widely credited with leading by example in practicing "noblesse oblige" through sustained donations to the arts, the medical community and vulnerable groups.

In 2021, the family jointly donated more than 23,000 artworks from Lee Kun-hee's personal collection — including the Joseon-era landscape painting "Inwang Jesaekdo" — to the state, broadening public access to cultural heritage.

The National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art have taken the "Lee Kun-hee Collection" on a domestic tour and, since November last year, on an overseas special tour spanning the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago and the British Museum.

Hong attended the Samsung-hosted gala receptions at both the Smithsonian and the British Museum, actively promoting Korean culture and art on the international stage.

The family also returned 1 trillion won ($755 million) to the medical sector. Of that, 300 billion won went to children with pediatric cancer and rare diseases, leading to the establishment of the Lee Kun-hee Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Support Project. The remaining 700 billion won was directed toward building the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and developing research, treatment and infrastructure to strengthen the country's response to infectious diseases.

Hong has consistently donated cash to the Korean Red Cross, becoming the third founding member of the Red Cross Honors Club — a group for cumulative donors of 100 million won or more — in 2016. In 2025, she was inducted into the Red Cross Honors 1 Billion Club.

She has also made ongoing donations for children, youth and vulnerable community members, including 1 billion won to the Youth Happiness Foundation and 355 million won to the Yongsan Welfare Foundation.

Hong has extended her giving to religious communities as well, consistently supporting the preservation of traditional Buddhist culture and contributing to cultural heritage conservation and welfare programs run by Won Buddhism and the Catholic Church.