A man attempted to throw an egg at Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee at the Gimpo International Airport on Thursday as he was returning from a three-week business trip in Europe.

Shouting out that former President Roh Moo-hyun’s death was caused by the chief of the country’s biggest conglomerate, the man tried to throw the egg but was held back by a group of bodyguards. It was not immediately known who the man is and why he did it.

The chairman’s heir apparent Lee Jay-yong, who was at the airport to greet his father, appeared shocked, as did other Samsung executives ― such as vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun, group’s corporate strategy office chief Kim Soon-taek and TV head Yoon Boo-keun. There were no injuries.

Meeting reporters at the airport, the Samsung chairman said the European economic condition was worse than expected but it will not impact the conglomerate’s businesses.

“I traveled to a number of countries such as Italy and France as well as some of the European countries that are experiencing the worst economic difficulties,” he said.

“(The European economy) will have a slight effect on exports but it will not have much impact on Samsung.”

He also stated that his next overseas trip will be London for the Summer Olympics in July.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)