Reports of Lee Sun-ho's arrest has brought attention back to his ex-wife's mysterious death.
CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-Hyun's only son Lee Sun-ho (29) was booked by prosecution without detention on the 2nd after customs authorities found Lee smuggling liquid marijuana cartridges during a routine search of inbound passengers. Lee Sun Ho is suspected of hiding dozens of liquid marijuana cartridges in an inbound flight from Los Angeles and trying to smuggle them through Incheon Airport in Korea.
His current wife, Lee Dae Hee, a tv announcer, is Lee Sun-ho's second wife from a remarriage last year. His first wife, Lee Rae-na (20) mysteriously died at their New Haven home in the U.S at 3:00am on Friday November 4, 2016. The couple had married in April 2016 and had been residing in the US so that Rae-na could complete her studies at Yale University while Lee Sun-ho studied in Columbia. Lee Rae-na was the daughter of Lee Yong-kyu, a former member of veteran pop band Koreana. She was also the cousin of well known actress Clara Lee.
The news of her death came two days after CJ group saw its stock value plunge by 8.7%, the lowest in 52 weeks, following reports of the group's alleged links to Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of prior President Park Geun-hye currently under arrest as an accessory to abuse of power and attempted fraud.
CJ Group is suspected to have received benefits in return for participating in cultural businesses designed by Choi and her aide Cha Eun-taek, a TV commercial director suspected to be behind the setup of the controversial Mir and K-Sports foundations. According to news reports at the time, CJ Group has been executing an investment plan involving more than 1 trillion won ($869.67 million) in the "creative culture convergence belt" led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Although CJ Group denied all speculations of any illicit dealings, the stock market was quick to react.
MBN reported that in 2013, Cheong Wa Dae pressured then-group Chairwoman Lee Mi-Kyung, Lee Jay-hyun's elder sister, to step down.
There are speculations that the government held Lee Mi-Kyung accountable for airing parodies of President Park during her campaign on tVN, a cable channel run by the group's entertainment arm CJ E&M. The former chairwoman stepped down from her post in late 2014 citing health problems, and flew to the US to undergo treatment for Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) disease. CMT is a rare inherited neurological disorder that Lee Mi-Kyung and the incumbent chairman Lee Jay-hyun are suffering from.
Lee Jay-hyun was indicted on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion in 2015 but was pardoned in August 2016 due to his health condition.
CJ Group Heir Apparent Lee Sun Ho's Arrest For Smuggling Drugs Draws Attention To His ex-Wife's Mysterious Death
CJ Group Heir Apparent Lee Sun Ho's Arrest For Smuggling Drugs Draws Attention To His ex-Wife's Mysterious Death
