Samsung chairman and icon Lee Kun-hee dies after long illness

• A chapter has closed for the Samsung conglomerate following the death of Lee Kun-hee, who transformed the South Korean appliance maker into the world's biggest producer of smartphones, TVs and memory chips.
• He had been incapacitated for years following a 2014 stroke, leaving day-to-day operations to his son, Lee Jae-yong, who goes by Jay Y. in the West.
• While Lee spends about 95% of his time focused on Samsung Electronics (OTC:SSNLF), the conglomerate's most valuable arm, he formally takes the reins with Samsung on the defensive and struggling to evolve within the tech industry.
• He also faces ongoing legal issues, spending almost a year in jail for his role in the corruption scandal that brought down former South Korean president Park Geun-hye in 2017, as well as a recent indictment for financial fraud.