Lee Kun-hee's 27-Year Journey... "A Movie Lover Who Felt Much Loneliness"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] As a boy, Lee Geon-hee was very lonely. Born on January 9, 1942, in Daegu as the seventh and youngest son among three sons and five daughters of Lee Byung-chul, the founder of Samsung Group known as Hoam (湖巖), and Mrs. Park Dueul, he was introverted and spoke little, having no friends of his age. Naturally, he spent a lot of time in solitary contemplation and became deeply immersed in movies. He went to study in Japan early on and was known to have watched more than 1,200 films over three years, showing his passion.

His small stature was a complex. During high school, he learned wrestling and became passionate about rugby to build a small but strong body that would not be easily underestimated by others. In his 1997 self-written essay "Let's Think a Little and Look at the World," Samsung Chairman Lee wrote, "Once rugby starts, it does not stop even if it rains or snows. We collide and run with our whole bodies in muddy fields where even walking is difficult. Only toward the team's goal of moving forward..." Through his connection with sports at that time, he actively promoted amateur sports, serving as the president of the Korea Wrestling Federation and even becoming a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1996.

Hoam taught Chairman Lee the "Loach and Catfish Theory" during his school days. A farmer released loaches in one paddy field and both loaches and catfish in another. The loaches released with the catfish, their natural predator, grew plump and strong because they had to be faster to survive. This laid the foundation for Chairman Lee's management philosophy. He himself became the "catfish" and constantly introduced "catfish" into his children's exam environments.

Chairman Lee was said to have an exceptional eye for people, according to his late friend and former lawmaker Hong Sadeok from Seoul National University High School. After graduating from Seoul National University High School, he was accepted to Yonsei University but enrolled in Waseda University's School of Commerce in Japan at Hoam's recommendation. After graduating from Waseda University, he studied economics at the George Washington University School of Business in the United States, with a minor in mass communication.

He met Mrs. Hong Ra-hee, who was studying applied arts at Seoul National University, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo and had a formal meeting. They got engaged in January 1967 and married in April of the same year after Mrs. Hong graduated from university. After marriage, he worked in Samsung's secretariat for two years, and his formal management training as Samsung Group's successor began in August 1978 when he was promoted to vice chairman of Samsung C&T Corporation. This was about two years after the founder was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

The following year, he was promoted to vice chairman of Samsung Group and entered management, working on the 28th floor of the Samsung headquarters in Taepyeongno, Seoul, right next to the founder's office. Hoam said, "Geon-hee showed interest and enthusiasm in corporate management and studied hard," and he had already marked him as his successor early on.