Samsung Empire: Imagine waking up in a smart home powered by your own family’s empire. You check stocks, your own company’s shares. And from your penthouse window, you see a skyline your grandfather helped build. This isn’t fiction. This is the real life of South Korea’s most powerful family, the Lees, the dynasty behind Samsung.

Samsung is not just a brand. It’s a symbol of Korea’s economic rise, and its political entanglements.

⦿ From Sacks of Rice to Semiconductors:

The humble beginning of Samsung’s history dates back to 1938, when Lee Byung-chul established a commercial business selling noodles and dried fish. By placing a wager on Korean-made items, Lee exceeded expectations during the Japanese occupation of Korea. He had a strange sense of time. Samsung diversified into textiles, insurance, and construction during World War II, the Liberation War, and the Civil War.

Samsung found itself in the political crosshairs following the military takeover led by General Park Chung-hee in 1961. Lee swiftly brought Samsung into line with the state’s industrial vision after being accused of bribery and embezzlement. It was worthwhile. Samsung was given contracts, money, and political support. The chaebol system, family-run businesses that influenced Korea’s economy, was built on the interaction between the government and Samsung.

⦿ The Reinvention of a Brand:

In 1987, the reins passed to Lee Kun-hee, the founder’s son. Initially seen as soft-spoken and academic, he stunned executives in 1993 with one bold directive: “Change everything, except your wife and kids.” He wanted Samsung to stop being second-rate and become a global leader. Factories were shut. Phones were burned (literally). Billions were poured into R\&D. The result? Samsung became Apple’s rival, Sony’s competitor, and a global household name.

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⦿ Power, Scandal, and Prison Sentences:

However, Samsung’s ascent was not without its dark side. Despite being found guilty of tax evasion in 2008, Lee Kun-hee was pardoned in the “national interest” and never went to jail. Similar scandals befell his heir apparent, Lee Jae-yong (Jay Y. Lee).

A significant bribery case involving then-President Park Geun-hye led to Lee Jae-yong’s detention in 2017. After serving a reduced sentence, he returned to prison after almost a year. He was then convicted again in 2021 and released from prison in 2022.

⦿ A Kingdom, Not a Company:

Samsung now accounts for around 20% of South Korea’s GDP, making it a kingdom within a republic. The Lee family maintains strong control over it through a convoluted network of cross-shareholdings. The Lees are untouchable despite trials, resignations, and scandals.

They have reorganized their empire, paid historic taxes, and donated billions of dollars, but they have never relinquished control. Innovation and smartphones are only two aspects of Samsung’s story. It is an epic about dynasties, politics, power, controversy, and survival. The question of whether one family can still have this much power over a country is still relevant as South Korea modernizes. Samsung is currently a monument to the cost of legacy as well as Korean ambition.

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