SEOUL -- After decades of grooming, Samsung Electronics scion Lee Jae-yong has finally reached the pinnacle of the global tech giant after the announcement on Thursday of his appointment as chairman, succeeding the position left vacant after the death of his father, Lee Kun-hee, in 2020.
And while the younger Lee, 54, was Samsung's de facto leader as vice chairman, he now faces the full weight of responsibility as undisputed leader of South Korea's most dominant company. Samsung and the broader conglomerate it anchors play such a significant role that the company has been dubbed the Republic of Samsung -- a virtual nation within a nation.
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