Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong recently drew attention for a single beverage bottle he was holding at an airport. Products Lee wears or uses often sell out immediately after they are made public, and this drink is drawing interest as well.
On the 26th, Lee departed for Washington, D.C., through the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center (SGBAC) in Gangseo District, Seoul. The trip is to attend a gala celebrating the Lee Kun-hee Collection exhibition. That day, Lee appeared at the airport in a suit with a navy padded vest. Lee held a bundle of documents in the left hand, and a bottle of a drink captured through the gap of an open car door drew attention. The drink was a Vietnamese coconut water known as a natural ion beverage.
The coconut water Lee chose is an organic product that claims to be fat-free, sugar-free, cholesterol-free and gluten-free. It is high in potassium and electrolytes and low in calories, making it suitable for hydration. Allison Massey, a dietitian at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, said, "Coconut water has less sugar and fewer calories than regular sports drinks and is rich in potassium and antioxidants, making it suitable to drink after exercise or during long travel." Potassium helps excrete sodium from the body and contributes to muscle function and the regulation of blood pressure and heart rate, while antioxidants suppress free radicals to reduce the risk of aging and cardiovascular disease.
Products Lee wears or uses have often sold out as soon as they were revealed. Examples include a Lansmere Golf cashmere vest worn on a business trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Feb. 2024, a Samsung C&T Beanpole Golf padded vest worn during a business trip to Vietnam in 2022, and an Arc'teryx padded jacket priced around 1.3 million won worn when boarding the SRT at Suseo Station in 2019. Even a Softlips lip balm priced around 2,300 won that Lee used at a 2016 parliamentary investigation hearing was dubbed "Lee Jae-yong lip balm," sparked an overseas direct-purchase craze, and later led to an official domestic release.
Lee is scheduled to attend a gala celebrating the Lee Kun-hee Collection exhibition in Washington, D.C., on the 28th (local time). Samsung family members, including Hong Ra-hee, honorary director of the Leeum Museum of Art, Lee Boo-jin, president of Hotel Shilla, and Lee Seo-hyun, president of Samsung C&T, are expected to arrive in the United States on separate flights.