Samsung

Samsung is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul as Samsung Sanghoe, a trading company in Daegu. It began with groceries and dried foods and later expanded into textiles, insurance, and other industries before moving into electronics. Over the decades, Samsung diversified into numerous sectors and grew into one of the world’s largest and most influential chaebols. The group is headquartered in Seoul and operates globally through a wide network of affiliated companies.

Samsung Electronics, established in 1969, is the group’s flagship subsidiary and a leading global technology company. It manufactures consumer electronics such as televisions, smartphones, and home appliances, and produces core components including memory chips (DRAM and NAND) and display panels. The company is known for its Galaxy line of mobile devices and serves as a major supplier to other electronics manufacturers, with extensive operations in semiconductor fabrication and display production.

Samsung’s corporate structure is that of a chaebol, characterized by cross-ownership among affiliates and a history of family-led governance. After the death of chairman Lee Kun-hee in 2020, leadership has been centered on his heir, Lee Jae-yong, as the group continues to pursue strategic investments in semiconductors, displays, and software, while undergoing ongoing governance reforms and regulatory scrutiny common to large family-controlled groups in Korea.

Globally, Samsung is a major driver of technology supply chains, particularly in memory chips and display technology. It invests heavily in research and development, advanced manufacturing, and strategic partnerships, shaping consumer electronics ecosystems and contributing to standards in mobile communications and digital display, while facing challenges related to governance, competition, and market cycles in semiconductors.