The Story of Samsung

A quick history of Samsung, Korea’s technology-focused behemoth.

Ben Kageyama
Lessons from History

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Samsung’s Lee Byung-Chul (1950), Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Despite the hardships brought by the pandemic, Samsung had sales totaling over 210 billion dollars in 2020. Net income after accounting for all expenses? A whopping $23 billion.

It’s no wonder that the closest thing Apple has to a competitor in the smartphone market is Samsung in my part of the world. But even if they aren’t the market leader in smartphones, this massive Korean-based company holds strong in many other electronic markets — air-conditioning, kitchen appliances, and life-wear accessories, to name a few.

Given how it has captivated the world, I think it’s worthwhile revisiting the company’s humble roots. It’s hard to imagine that it was also once a diamond in the rough.

Humble beginnings

Seoul in the 1950s, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Following the end of the Korean War in 1953, South Korea was still a developing country trying to recover from the division of territory and the scars of military conflict. Against all odds, this recovery gave rise to a period known as the “Miracle on the Han River,” similar to the “Miracle of Rhine”, which described West…

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