By Kim Tae-gyu
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong arrived at his office in southern Seoul at 7 a.m. Wednesday carrying a gold-colored Galaxy Note 7 in his hand, the model users claim caught fire.
Lee had avoided going there at this time due to journalists who swarm the first floor of the Samsung head office to meet presidents of Samsung affiliates who convene there every Wednesday morning.
To one of the journalists who took pictures with a cell phone, he said, "It's an iPhone," which observers say is unusual for Lee, the heir apparent of the Samsung Group as the only son of bed-ridden Chairman Lee Kun-hee
"As the leader of Samsung Electronics, it is no wonder for him to use the firm's latest device. But the thing is that he demonstrated the fact to the media in a unique way," said a Seoul analyst.
"The chances are that he expected many reporters early Wednesday morning. Then again, he might have wanted to promote the handset, which had setbacks in the aftermath of the recall announcement early this month."
Samsung Electronics started a replacement program this week, delivering new Galaxy Note 7 to customers following a worldwide recall prompted by over 30 reports of handset batteries catching fire.
The measure is likely to cause a substantial financial burden to Samsung and negatively affect its brand image as the tech giant sold around 2.5 million of the large-screen phones since its introduction on Aug. 16.
But Samsung tries to brush away such woes by restarting sales of the jumbo phones with features such as an iris scanner soon after wrapping up the exchange program.
Since Vice Chairman Lee was nominated to join Samsung's board of directors last week, he has proactively carried out various activities. Just after his appointment, he flew to India over the Chuseok holidays to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 48-year-old Harvard-educated businessman is now the de facto head of the nation's biggest conglomerate since his father was hospitalized after a heart attack in 2014.
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| Lee Jae-yong |
Lee had avoided going there at this time due to journalists who swarm the first floor of the Samsung head office to meet presidents of Samsung affiliates who convene there every Wednesday morning.
To one of the journalists who took pictures with a cell phone, he said, "It's an iPhone," which observers say is unusual for Lee, the heir apparent of the Samsung Group as the only son of bed-ridden Chairman Lee Kun-hee
"As the leader of Samsung Electronics, it is no wonder for him to use the firm's latest device. But the thing is that he demonstrated the fact to the media in a unique way," said a Seoul analyst.
"The chances are that he expected many reporters early Wednesday morning. Then again, he might have wanted to promote the handset, which had setbacks in the aftermath of the recall announcement early this month."
Samsung Electronics started a replacement program this week, delivering new Galaxy Note 7 to customers following a worldwide recall prompted by over 30 reports of handset batteries catching fire.
The measure is likely to cause a substantial financial burden to Samsung and negatively affect its brand image as the tech giant sold around 2.5 million of the large-screen phones since its introduction on Aug. 16.
But Samsung tries to brush away such woes by restarting sales of the jumbo phones with features such as an iris scanner soon after wrapping up the exchange program.
Since Vice Chairman Lee was nominated to join Samsung's board of directors last week, he has proactively carried out various activities. Just after his appointment, he flew to India over the Chuseok holidays to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 48-year-old Harvard-educated businessman is now the de facto head of the nation's biggest conglomerate since his father was hospitalized after a heart attack in 2014.
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