Foreign Media: "Samsung Contributes to Turning Point in COVID-19 Situation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] As an arrest warrant was requested for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, major foreign media outlets are eagerly reporting on the related news along with Samsung's actions during the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) phase.

Bloomberg News, on the 3rd (local time), published an in-depth analysis article stating, "Among technology billionaires, Samsung's heir Lee is one of the notable 'champions' in the fight against COVID-19, but currently, there may be no one as precarious as him."

Bloomberg continued, "Lee, the de facto leader of South Korea's largest company, took the lead in the COVID-19 containment campaign," introducing that "Samsung independently dispatched doctors to affected regions in March, sent domestic technicians overseas using its own aircraft, and provided approximately $39 million (about 47.5 billion KRW) worth of aid worldwide."

It also mentioned Lee's promise last month during a public apology that he would not pass on management rights to his children, noting that "both ruling and opposition parties as well as the Korea Fair Trade Commission chairman expressed their support," and pointed out that "Samsung's most urgent task is to free and empower its leader in an era of rising uncertainty." In particular, it analyzed that "he has played an unusually important role in the Korean economy and national spirit," and "the transformation of the economy into a technology export powerhouse owes much to family-run conglomerates."

In addition, Asian media outlets such as China's state-run Xinhua News Agency and Japan's Asahi Shimbun also simultaneously reported on the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant against Vice Chairman Lee, showing keen interest.