Samsung Electronics was established in 1969 as the electronics division of Samsung Group, which was founded by Lee Byung-chul in 1938 as a trading company dealing in dried fish, vegetables, and noodles. The electronics division initially focused on black-and-white televisions, radios, and home appliances for the domestic Korean market. Throughout the 1970s, Samsung expanded into telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, and consumer electronics, establishing itself as a major Korean industrial player.
The company underwent significant transformation in the 1990s under the leadership of Lee Kun-hee, son of the founder, who famously declared "change everything except your wife and kids" in 1993. This declaration marked the beginning of Samsung's transformation from a domestic manufacturer to a global technology leader. The company focused on quality improvement, technological innovation, and international expansion, particularly in memory chips and display panels.
The 2000s saw Samsung emerge as a dominant force in mobile phones with the launch of the Galaxy smartphone series, competing directly with Apple's iPhone and eventually establishing Samsung as the world's largest smartphone manufacturer. The company also became a leader in television technology, pioneering QLED and Neo QLED displays that set industry standards for picture quality and innovation.
Under current leadership, Samsung has continued to invest heavily in next-generation technologies including 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The company has faced various challenges including corporate governance issues, legal disputes, and intense competition from Chinese manufacturers in the smartphone market, but has maintained its position as a global technology leader through continuous innovation and strategic diversification.