About
Despite being most famous for electronics, Lee Byung-Chull's first business was a rice mill—Samsung began trading dried fish, fruit, and noodles before becoming a tech giant.
Lee Byung-Chull (1910–1987) was a pioneering South Korean businessman recognized as the founder of Samsung Group, one of the world’s largest conglomerates. Initially entering business with a rice mill in Masan, he later established a small trading company in Daegu in 1938, which would eventually evolve into Samsung. While Lee did not complete his degree at Waseda University in Japan, his exposure to modern business practices there shaped his industrial ambitions. Under his leadership, Samsung diversified from food and textiles into electronics, shipbuilding, and semiconductors, helping propel South Korea’s industrial and technological development. He established Samsung Electronics in 1969, planting the seeds for South Korea’s global leadership in consumer electronics and IT. Lee is remembered for his rigorous, visionary leadership style and for integrating a sense of national duty into his corporate mission, insisting that business should serve both profit and the broader development of society.
