Samsung was founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul and grew into South Korea’s largest electronics conglomerate.
Lee Byung-chul established Samsung as a trading company in Daegu, Korea, in 1938. The business later diversified into areas including food processing, textiles, insurance, retail, construction, shipbuilding, and electronics. Samsung Electronics was established in 1969.
Samsung Electronics became a global leader in smartphones, televisions, memory chips, displays, and home appliances. Its semiconductor business and consumer-electronics brands helped Samsung remain one of the most valuable publicly traded companies in Asia.
“Samsung” can refer to the wider Samsung Group or, in market-capitalization lists, specifically Samsung Electronics, the listed company most commonly being compared with other global corporations. It is distinct from LG, another major South Korean conglomerate.