Shin Young-ja, former chairwoman of Lotte Foundation, died on the 21st. She was 85.
Shin was the eldest daughter of the late Shin Kyuk-ho, honorary chairman and founder of Lotte Group. She joined Hotel Lotte in 1973 to begin her management training and contributed to the establishment of Lotte Department Store in 1979. She demonstrated exceptional performance in department store management, growing Lotte Department Store into one of Korea's leading retailers.
Shin was promoted to president of Lotte Shopping in 2008, overseeing both the department store and duty-free businesses. She also demonstrated her management capabilities in the duty-free sector, elevating Lotte Duty Free to the top tier among domestic duty-free operators.
From 2009, she focused on social contribution, serving as chairwoman of Lotte Samdong Foundation, Lotte Scholarship Foundation, and Lotte Welfare Foundation.
She married Jang Oh-sik, former chairman of Sunhak Aluminum, but divorced in 1979. She had one son and three daughters with Jang. Survivors include her eldest daughter Jang Hye-sun, chairwoman of Lotte Foundation; Jang Sun-yoon, executive director of Lotte New York Palace; and son Jang Jae-young.