Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung Electronics, which made the South Korean company a global name, has died at the age of 78.
Under Lena’s leadership, Samsung became the world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones and memory chips, with a turnover equivalent to one-fifth of South Korea’s GDP.
Known for his repetitive lifestyle, Lee was bedridden in 2014 due to a heart attack. Little was known about his condition, and even in his last days he was shrouded in mystery.
The company statement said, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Kun-hee Lee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics.
“President Lee passed away on October 25 with his family, including Vice Chairman Jay Y Lee … his legacy will last forever.”
Samsung is by far the largest of the family-controlled organizations. This Chowballs Dominated business in South Korea and transformed it into the world’s 12th largest economy from the devastation of the war. Nowadays he is under investigation for his stupid political connections and rivalry for power – Lee himself has twice been convicted of a criminal offense for bribing the president.
When Lee inherited the group’s chairmanship in 1987 – founded by his father to deal with fish, fruit and noodles – Samsung was already the largest group in the country, with operations ranging from consumer electronics to construction.
Lee sharpened her focus and made it global: she was the world’s largest maker of smartphones and memory chips until she suffered a heart attack in 2014. It is also a major global player in semiconductor and LCD displays.
Lee rarely visited the company’s headquarters through the walls of his private compound in central Seoul and earned the nickname “Hermit King.”
His son, Lee Ja-yonggang, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, has been at the helm of the company since the 2014 heart attack.
The son was jailed for five years in 2017, after being convicted of bribery and other crimes involving former President Park Geun-hye, before being released from the most serious charges on appeal and a year later. That case is being retried.
With the Associated Press
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