Samsung was founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul in Daegu, Korea (then unified Korea), initially as a trading company dealing with groceries and noodles. The company evolved into Samsung Group, with Samsung Electronics (founded in 1969) becoming its most prominent subsidiary. Key developments: - Started as Samsung Trading Company - Entered electronics industry in 1969 - Became global technology leader in 1990s-2000s Ownership/Control: - Controlled by the Lee family through a complex ownership structure - Currently led by Jay Y. Lee (Lee Jae-yong), grandson of founder - Publicly traded on Korean Exchange and [[London Stock Exchange (LSE)]] - Major institutional investors include: * National Pension Service of Korea * Samsung Life Insurance * Various global investment firms Notable is Samsung's chaebol structure (Korean business conglomerate model), with intricate cross-shareholdings among various Samsung companies, though recent years have seen some restructuring efforts to simplify this structure.