In 2007, Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee observed that South Korea was "sandwiched" uncomfortably between high-tech developed economies and low-cost China.
Eleven years on, Korea's biggest company is itself caught in the middle. On top side, there is Apple with its $1 trillion valuation and enviable pipeline of consumer favorites. On the bottom, cheaper Chinese brands are going global in a hurry and eating Samsung's lunch.
