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| A poster for JTBC drama "Reborn Rich" / Courtesy of JTBC |
By Baek Byung-yeul
Lee Byung-chull, the founder of Samsung Group, is in the spotlight once again thanks to the popular TV drama "Reborn Rich," according to industry officials Monday.
They said the fictional character Chairman Jin Yang-chul in the drama, who pushes forward with plans to nurture his company's semiconductor business, reminded viewers of the Samsung founder because Lee is the figure who grew Samsung's semiconductor business despite strong opposition from his executives.
Chairman Jin's persistent push whenever he decides the group's future direction in the drama has been sparking young people's interest in Lee Byung-chull's life story, they added.
"Reborn Rich" is a JTBC drama starring top actor Song Joong-ki, who dies in the present and is reincarnated in the past as Jin Do-joon, the youngest son of the owner family of Korea's top conglomerate Sunyang Group. As Jin knows what will happen in the future, he gives crucial tips to his grandfather (played by Lee Seong-min), the founder and chairman of Sunyang Group, and begins drawing attention from the chairman.
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| Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chull, left, poses with his son Lee Kun-hee who went on to become the second chairman of the group, in this 1980 file photo. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
"Chairman Jin in the drama doesn't exactly match the Samsung founder, but it seems clear that the character was inspired by anecdotes about the founder of Samsung Group. Based on the founder's story, the producer of the drama added some more stories of other chaebol chairmen to Chairman Jin's character," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Regarding the reason why Lee Byung-chull is in the spotlight again, Kim Dae-jong, a business professor at Sejong University, said the Samsung chairman's vision regarding his decisive plunge into the semiconductor business, which required an enormous amount of investment and getting the right direction of the business, inspired many people, especially the younger generations.
"The semiconductor industry is a mass-producing business that requires a large amount of investment. Once you take a wrong direction in this kind of business, you can fall far behind your competitors, so it is very important that an entrepreneur makes the right decision," Kim said.
"Chairman Lee Byung-chull's determination and vision are having a great influence on young people as he has been in the spotlight thanks to the TV drama."
People's growing awareness of the Samsung founder can also be found in the best-selling book chart.
"Hoam Jajeon," literally meaning the autobiography of Hoam, which is the pen name of the Samsung founder, is ranked 57th, as of Monday, at Kyobo Book Centre, the largest bookstore chain in Korea.
The autobiography was republished in 2014 after going through a modernization process based on the original version written by the founder in 1986.
The book's return to the top 100 chart after eight years is a clear example of how much people are interested in the late founder.
