| Lee Kun-hee, right, and his father and founder of Samsung Lee Byung-chul. Lee Kun-hee, head of Samsung Group, died at a hospital in Seoul, Sunday. He was 78. Yonhap |
Lee Kun-hee, chief of South Korea's top conglomerate, Samsung Group, died at a hospital in Seoul on Sunday at age 78. The following are the major events during the life of the late business tycoon in chronological order.
1942 - born in Daegu as third son of Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chull
1953 - heads to Japan for education
1965 - graduates from Waseda University with business major
1966 - finishes George Washington University's MBA program, joins Samsung-affiliated Tongyang Broadcasting Co.
1967 - marries Hong Ra-hee (who later heads Samsung's art museum Leeum)
1978 - becomes vice chairman of Samsung CT Corp.
1979 - becomes vice chairman of Samsung Group
1987 - becomes Samsung Group chairman, announces "second founding" vision for the conglomerate the following year
1993 - announces new Samsung corporate identity
1996 - becomes a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
1998 - becomes CEO and chairman of Samsung Electronics Co.
2004 - awarded Legion D'Honneur medal by the French government
2007 - participates in South Korean campaign to host the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang
2008 - indicted by special prosecutors on charges of operating large group slush funds, announced departure from management, announces measures to improve corporate governance; sentenced by a Seoul district court to three years in prison suspended for five years on tax-evasion charges
2009 - A high court in August confirms sentence on charges of business malpractice; pardoned through presidential executive order in December
2010 - reinstated as Samsung Electronics Co. chairman; Samsung reveals first Galaxy S smartphone
2011 - reportedly plays a key role at the 123rd general session of the IOC where South Korea's PyeongChang won the bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics
2014 - hospitalized and remains bedridden after a myocardial infarction
2020 - passes away at age 78
(Yonhap)