Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

Radio 4,15 Oct 2016,13 mins

Lee Kun-Hee (Chairman, Samsung)

Profile

Available for over a year

Samsung started out as a tiny exporter of dried fish. Today it's one of the world's biggest tech giants; the family-run business accounts for about a quarter of South Korea's entire GDP. This week Samsung was forced to stop production of its new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after a number of them apparently exploded or caught fire. Samsung's chairman Lee Kun-Hee - son of the firm's founder - saw the value of his company plummet. You'd think he'd be fuming. But he hasn't been seen since he suffered a heart attack in 2014. Some in South Korea think he could be dead. Mark Coles tells the story of Lee Kun-Hee - one of the world's most enigmatic and fascinating business leaders. Researcher: Kirsteen Knight Producer: Smita Patel.

Programme Website
More episodes