三星李氏家族洪罗喜获颁国民勋章冬柏章，表彰40余年公益贡献

Hong Ra-hee, honorary director of the Leeum Museum of Art, has received the Dongbaek Medal of the Order of Civil Merit in recognition of more than four decades of philanthropy in the arts, health care and social welfare.
The Samsung Foundation of Culture said Hong received the medal on the 26th at a ceremony marking the 121st anniversary of the founding of the Korean Red Cross, held at Woori Bank's headquarters in Seoul's Jung District. The Order of Civil Merit is conferred by the government on individuals who have contributed to improving public welfare and advancing national development, and the Dongbaek Medal is the third of its five grades.
In 2021, Hong and other family members, including Samsung Electronics (005930) Chairman Jay Y. Lee, donated to the state about 23,000 works of art collected over the lifetime of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee. The donation included National Treasure-class cultural properties such as Jeong Seon's "Clearing After Rain on Mount Inwang," along with works by leading Korean and international artists. The so-called KH Collection, assembled from the late chairman's holdings, has drawn a cumulative 3.5 million visitors across 35 touring exhibitions in South Korea. Since November of last year, an overseas tour has also been under way, moving from Washington, D.C., and Chicago to London. Hong took part directly in preparations for the overseas exhibitions and in major events, helping raise the international standing of Korean art.
In health care, large-scale donations have supported children with cancer and rare diseases and expanded medical infrastructure. Hong and other family members donated 1 trillion won ($700 million) of the late chairman's estate to medical causes. Of that, 300 billion won went to treatment and research for children with cancer and rare diseases, with about 28,000 young patients receiving support through this year. The remaining 700 billion won is being used to build a national infectious disease hospital and to expand research facilities for treatments and vaccines as part of the country's infectious disease response system.
Her ties to the Korean Red Cross now span 36 years. She began serving as a special adviser on the women's volunteer committee in 1990, and in 2016 she joined the Red Cross Honors Club, a group of major donors, as its third founding member. Last year she was inducted into the Red Cross Honors 1 Billion Won Club, reserved for donors whose cumulative giving exceeds 1 billion won. She also donated 500 million won to produce the Korean Red Cross's first mobile shower vehicle, aimed at improving sanitary conditions for disaster victims and relief workers in the field.
Support for vulnerable groups has continued steadily as well. She gave 1 billion won to the Youth Happiness Foundation to fund counseling, education and vocational training for at-risk young people, and 355 million won to the Yongsan Welfare Foundation to help low-income households with living and heating costs.