Samsung marked the first overseas exhibition of the Lee Kun-hee Collection. Samsung said on Jan. 29 it held a gala dinner in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 28 local time to celebrate the exhibition’s success. About 250 people attended, including U.S. political and government figures, global corporate executives and cultural figures, among them Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The first overseas touring exhibition of donations from the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee is being held at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art as the exhibition titled "Treasures of Korea: Collect, Cherish, Share." Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong (이재용), Hong Ra-hee (홍라희), honorary director of the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Hotel Shilla President Lee Boo-jin (이부진) and Samsung C&T President Lee Seo-hyun (이서현) were among Samsung family members who welcomed attendees. The exhibition is jointly hosted by the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Also attending the gala dinner were Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, Republican Senators Tim Scott and Ted Cruz, Democratic Senator Andy Kim, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha. Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Corning Chairman Wendell Weeks, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson, Flagship Pioneering CEO Noubar Afeyan and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna also attended.

Lee and Hong introduced the late Lee Kun-hee’s pride in Korean culture and his philosophy of social contribution in their greetings. Lee said that despite hardships such as the Korean War, founder Lee Byung-chul and the late Lee Kun-hee had a firm will to preserve Korea’s cultural heritage. He said Hong devoted herself to broadening and diversifying the collection’s scope, from ancient relics to modern and contemporary works.

After viewing the exhibition, guests had dinner and experienced the stature of Korea’s cultural heritage. After dinner, performances were held by soprano Sumi Jo (조수미), pianist Yekwon Sunwoo (선우예권) and violinist Nuri Jeong (정누리). Scott said the touring exhibition strongly reminds people that the enduring U.S.-South Korea alliance is built not only on economic ties but also on stories and shared values that connect everyone.

Organisers estimate the exhibition will attract a cumulative total of more than 65,000 visitors by closing. That is more than twice the number of visitors for exhibitions of a similar scale held at the Smithsonian. On Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 19, about 3,500 people visited the exhibition, the highest daily number. Reproductions of moon jars and lighting inspired by "Inwangjesaekdo" sold out early. The global tour of the Lee Kun-hee Collection will continue at the Art Institute of Chicago from March to July, and then the British Museum from September to January next year.