By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee said Tuesday that there is no time to waste in achieving the goal of making the best products and becoming No. 1 in given markets.
"We don't even have time to think," Lee told reporters upon returning from a tour aimed at drumming up support for the bid by PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
"We must improve the quality of our existing products and make better products so as to be No.1 in the market."
A senior Samsung spokesman said that Lee's remarks should be taken as a confirmation of what he believes in.
Lee's remarks came at a time when Samsung is competing with Apple over a variety of products from smartphones to tablet computers.
At the same time, Samsung is striving to find new growth engines to keep it relevant for the decades to come.
Although its Galaxy S smartphones and Galaxy Tab tablets are seeing good responses from consumers in the United States and Europe, investors and analysts are calling for Samsung to offer more wow products that highlight both hardware and software features.
Samsung is the leader in flat-screen televisions, while it is controlling over 40 percent of global demand in memory chips. It only follows the industry leader Nokia in handsets.
Regarding any progress in his effort to back the PyeongChang bid, Lee said, "I don't expect any imminent results," explaining that his efforts are being made step by step.
In late 2009 Lee was pardoned following his resignation over a slush fund scandal on the condition he do his best for PyeongChang's third attempt to host the Winter Games.
"I will take further trips in April, May and July," Lee said.
Lee went on to say he will participate in the upcoming key industrial meeting organized by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) on March 10. It would be his first participation in an FKI meeting in more than four years.
"The meeting will be the first to be hosted by GS Chairman Huh Chang-soo since he became FKI chairman," said a senior industry executive.
"Lee's presence is widely expected."
The 69-year-old head of Korea's biggest conglomerate declined to take the helm of the big business lobby.
Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo and SK Chairman Chey Tae-won as well as Lee are expected to attend Thursday’s meeting.
LG Chairman Koo Bon-moo will not be present.
Last year, Lee appeared at the world’s biggest technology exhibition, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, together with his family.