2006 Van Fleet Award Honoree
LEE KUN-HEE
SAMSUNG CHAIRMAN
As the guiding light of Samsung, Chairman Lee Kun-Hee is responsible for an extraordinary economic conglomerate that has contributed enormously to the economic rise of South Korea. Samsung is the strongest economic symbol of today's Korea, as is demonstrated by its ranking number 20 in the latest Business Week / Interbrand survey of the 100 "top brands" worldwide. This extraordinary ranking is supported by the stunning surge in the value of the Samsung product line over the past five years. Over this period, Samsung posted the biggest gain in value of any of the top 100 brands, with an explosive rise of 186-percent in value. Today its total assets amount to more than $230 billion, with close to a quarter of a million employees working in over 65 countries. Samsung currently has more than 25 offices in the United States alone.
Chairman Lee has played a direct, hands-on role in shaping Samsung's approach to its people and its products. He has long supported innovation in management, creating a more dynamic corporate culture under the slogan "Change Myself First," based on his conviction that all progress begins with the individual. Today, Samsung's corporate philosophy reflects Chairman Lee's belief that economic success comes from a stress on quality, not quantity.
Educated in Korea, Japan and the United States, Chairman Lee remains active in many areas, as a vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, a vice chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Committee, a member of the International Olympic Committee, a director of the Korean Youth Association and a philanthropist of high standing. Under his guidance, Samsung made a $3.2 million contribution to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund last year and has contributed more than $30 million to American charities over the years. Truly, Samsung is an outstanding global citizen.
When General James Van Fleet, for whom this award is named, came up with the idea of establishing The Korea Society, Korea itself still lay largely prostrate in the wreckage of war. Samsung has played an enduring and significant role in Korea's recovery and rise to global prominence. It is for his key role in that magnificent recovery that we honor Chairman Lee.
