Lee Kun-hee returns as chief of Samsung Electronics
By Thomas Ricker 
posted March 24th 2010 4:57AM
posted March 24th 2010 4:57AM
It sure pays to be a white collar criminal in Korea. Especially when you're the son of the founder of Samsung. Lee Kun-hee, the disgraced former chairman of the Samsung Group, is returning to the chaebol as the head of Samsung Electronics -- Samsung's largest division and of primary interest to us gadget nerds. Remember, this is the man convicted of tax evasion only to be pardoned (twice!) by South Korean presidents with all jail time deferred. His latest pardon was issued so that he could help South Korea win a bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. In an effort to stave off criticism from a local population that is at once proud of Samsung's global success but concerned with its immense power over all things Korean, Mr. Lee played the fear card in announcing the reason for his return:
Never mind that analysts are predicting the most profitable year ever for Samsung Electronics. So what'll it be South Korea: BubiBubi or pitchforks?"[The] best companies in the world are collapsing. We don't know what is going to happen to Samsung too. In the coming 10 years, businesses and products that represent Samsung today will mostly disappear."
I'm not even sure how to respond to this news...
Even today in this day and age of corporate corruption awareness, are people like this allowed to rise back to power again. Here's hoping that the company can continue on its current path, and keep improving their customer service. The last thing Samsung needs is any sort of debacle...
@r34p3r
Too late - my next TV will be a Sony. Or a Loewe if I crack that Lotto jackpot.
@r34p3r I'd say that tax evasion shouldn't worry consumers, except in a moral way, it's a local problem that would have the most significant impact on the government's revenues and services.
If you have ever been in South Korea you will notice how much Samsung dominates everything there... It is really incredible how can that be.
About the fear card, probably he spent few weeks watching Fox News and the health care debacle :P
@Mr w00t
Nah, he saw this:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/187263
I thought I was reading about the other Korea...
„We don't know what is going to happen.“
I’ll try this argument today to get a promotion. So being clueless is the key to becoming chairman. All these years at university wasted. Should have known this earlier.
당신 말은 맛긴 맛지만 Engadget 에 이런건 별로 반갑지 안내요. 그냉 재밋는거나 하지. 김연아 Haptic 데에 안쓰나여? -_-;
@Son Goku
Who are you referring to? I'm guessing you live outside of Korea because your Korean spelling is pretty bad...
And they're are pointing out many valid points here, this kind of law-bypassing business practices must be stopped. I'm a second generation Canadian-Korean myself, and I love and am proud of Samsung and its products, but this isn't right.
Anyways, it's not like Korea's the only country that's doing these kinda stuff, but this should be stopped if Korea wants to take on the world properly.
Btw, a lot of these "jaebol"s in Korea and Japan still do things like this, and that's how Korea and Japan showed a tremendous amount of economic improvement in the past. Meh.
@Son Goku lol your korean writing really sucks
@monsterplay
Yeah, the writing is unsightly, almost illegible... Huh, what? Oh, the spelling!
@onlymyrailgun
Anyway, we all know that Goku is a (super) Saiyan, not a Korean.
In 2009, the government tried to take him out, but this SUMMER, Payback will be more than a Bitch..."Get down"...DOUBLE THE ACTION..."get down again"....TRIPLE THE EXCITEMENT..."What are we dodging exactly"....LEE KUN-HEE...."Halo....I'm Backkkkkk!" is (MASTER)CHIEF in BADA-SSS.
@StewieGriffin
Malone: What are you prepared to do?
Ness: Everything within the law.
Malone: And then what are you prepared to do?
-The Untouchables
@StewieGriffin pablo francisco FTW!
Bad ass picture, can i get a larger copy?
@Einlander
Hah! Yes, it's an awesome picture, I should set aside my "... and I'm a PC" wallpaper from Valve for this...
KH is above the law. He MAKES laws. Even a former president could do so much to stop the unstoppable rise of Sammie and its gang. I love what Sammie does in its services and produts, but from shareholder point of view, this is madness. Yeah, KH did have his day, but bypassing laws to give his son control of the group? What about all the illegal stuff that went on at the structural HQ, the control tower of Samsung group a few years back? How I love the quote of Goebels. 'It is the winners that write history.' KH is, indeed, a winner, a big one at that. Welcome to AD2010.
I don't know about you guys...but after his pep talk, I feel motivated to make some sweet TVs!! Maybe some 3D ones!! Let's do this!!
Epic Photoshop!
Watch out,Japan!!
No doubt samsung is gonna steal lots of japan technologies again!! Especially,Sony,sharp,and toshiba!!
Don't believe Korean!!
@ssssss
Your english is horrible. Dont believe in what?
I saw him at the CES 2010 in Las Vegas walking around with his small family. Of course he had like 3 body guards all protecting him. He was walking around the Samsung booth with one of his top execs guiding him.
Republic of Samsung
Funny to blame Samsung tax evasion as illegal, it is but can you argue that Samsung makes good products and brings lots of revenue to Korea besides taxes ?
Whereas in UK and US, the banking sector tax us with all the billions of help from the government and are robbing us twice or three times over by insisting we pay every dime on our loans when we purchased their inflated real estate/stocks/bonds, and the horrible thing is it is perfectly legal ... And no they don't invest in the country but in their secret banking accounts in Switzerland or their summer houses in France.
It is going to be a glorious year for companies like Samsung and LG because of Microsoft.
MS is now going to make the entire software for windows phone as opposed to what was happening earlier with Samsung or HTC making the software for windows mobile.
Samsung is really good at making hardware (case in point Super AMOLED) and at really really low cost and huge quantities. With MS doing all the fantastic software and 3rd party developers making all the apps Samsung is going to make billions.
Don't you guys know this? They INTENTIONALLY spell words this way. I guess the new generations think this is cool. :)
@yhbae What sir, are you talking about? If it's bubi bubi, then you are wrong, this is systematic. They take a word they hear, put and make it's phonetic spelling in Hangul. When you give hangul roman lettering "oo" becomes u, "ie" and "y" become i.