SEOUL: Unassuming, media-shy and, as yet, unproven, Jay Y. Lee is the unofficial heir-apparent to lead Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, as the world's biggest technology group by sales approaches a crossroads after years of explosive growth.
The only son of Samsung's frail 72-year-old chairman Lee Kun-hee, Jay has been groomed for years to take over the sprawling South Korean family-run "chaebol", a conglomerate with interests spanning technology and insurance to shipbuilding and construction. Samsung Group's 2012 revenue of 380tril won (RM1.2tril) was more than a quarter of South Korea's nominal GDP.