A 70 year old technology executive who helped shape Samsung Electronics’ global strategy and now chairs an American automotive technology company has married a former supermodel 25 years his junior, following a romance that began with an unexpected connection at MIT.
Young Sohn, a former president of South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, married Jayeon Kim, 45, in a private ceremony overlooking Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. The couple first met two years ago through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where both had studied, before their friendship turned romantic earlier this year.
Sohn is no stranger to American business circles. He chairs Harman International, the U.S. automotive technology and audio company owned by Samsung, and previously served as Samsung’s chief strategy officer. He also heads the company’s Semiconductor Advisory Board and founded a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. His marriage brings an unusual personal spotlight to an executive whose career has spanned the American and Asian technology industries.
Kim, meanwhile, spent much of her professional life in the United States. After winning a South Korean supermodel competition in 2003 and working internationally, she moved into the business side of fashion, spending more than a decade in New York analyzing market trends and working in product development and brand marketing.
She studied fashion management at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology before pursuing an MBA at MIT, where her research examined how technological innovation was disrupting the fashion industry.
Their shared academic background eventually brought them together despite careers that had followed markedly different paths.
In an October 31 social media announcement, Kim revealed that she had never expected to marry.
“I thought I would never get married and would spend my life alone,” she wrote. “But well into my 40s, after a long and winding journey, I finally met the person I wanted to spend my life with.”
According to Kim, the two initially got to know each other as fellow MIT alumni. Their friendship developed over two years, gradually becoming closer until they acknowledged their romantic feelings earlier this year.
What followed was a relationship spanning three continents. The couple traveled between the United States, South Korea and Europe, spending time understanding each other’s backgrounds and building on the trust they had already established.
Kim said that foundation made their decision to marry surprisingly straightforward, even though their romantic relationship was relatively new.
While Sohn has held senior positions at one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers, Kim said his business achievements were not what drew her to him.
She described her husband as a warm and thoughtful person who genuinely cares for her and treats her with respect. She added that Sohn affectionately finds her tall stature adorable.
For their wedding, the couple chose the Bürgenstock resort, a luxury property perched approximately 2,950 feet above sea level with sweeping views of Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps. The destination also has a connection to Hollywood history through Audrey Hepburn, who married there.
Rather than hold a large public celebration, Sohn and Kim exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony attended by family members.
Kim said the couple had promised to support each other and continue exploring their individual interests as they begin married life.
“We promised to stand by each other and continue expanding our worlds together,” she wrote, thanking family and supporters for their congratulations.
The marriage marks a new chapter for two people whose careers took them from South Korea to the United States, one through the technology industry and the other through fashion, before their paths finally crossed at MIT.
