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Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, accompanying President Lee Jae-myung's economic delegation during the state visit to Italy, drew attention on the 12th (local time) by describing his special ties with Ferrari Chairman John Elkann.
Attending the "Korea-Italy Business Roundtable (BRT)" held at a hotel in Rome that day, Chairman Lee met reporters and said, "We supply displays to Ferrari, and he is also chairman of Stellantis, the U.S. company Chrysler," adding, "Samsung SDI is also building a joint battery plant in the U.S. together."
Chairman Lee also attended the state dinner the previous day, where cameras captured him engaging in a cordial standing conversation with President Lee, Italian President Mattarella, and Ferrari Chairman Elkann, drawing notice.
In fact, Chairman Lee joined the board of "Exor," the holding company of Italy's billionaire Agnelli family, in 2012, serving as an outside director for about five years until 2017. Exor is also the largest shareholder of Stellantis, born from the merger of Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Peugeot Citroën (PSA). Chairman Elkann, born in 1976, is a maternal grandson of the Agnelli family and currently serves as CEO of Exor.
Samsung has also been cooperating on various businesses with companies under Exor. Samsung SDI operates the battery joint venture "StarPlus Energy" in the U.S. in partnership with Stellantis. Recently, Samsung Display also announced that it would exclusively supply four types of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display panels for Ferrari's first all-electric sports car, the "Ferrari Elettrica."
Asked whether he felt the foreign interest in Korean manufacturing technology, Chairman Lee expressed his resolve, saying, "We have to work even harder." After entering the reception, Chairman Lee met Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna and exchanged conversation while showing each other their mobile phones.
