Former Minister Jin Dae-je, the 'Semiconductor Legend,' Choked Up Over Late Samsung Chairman Lee Byung-chul's Last Will

Jin Dae-je, CEO of Skylake Investment (former Minister of Information and Communication)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] "Britain created the steam engine and dominated the world for 400 years. I invested in semiconductors with the same mindset, so from now on, you all must work hard and do well."

This was a remark left by the late Lee Byung-chul, the founder of Samsung Group, when he suddenly visited Samsung Electronics' semiconductor Giheung plant in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on September 25, 1987, 34 years ago. At the time, Lee, who was in the terminal stage of lung cancer and had difficulty moving, was very upset after reading newspaper articles claiming that "Korean semiconductors copied or imitated others."

Jin Dae-je, CEO of Skylake Investment, introduced this anecdote during his keynote speech at the "Semiconductor Industry Paradigm and Future" seminar held on the 30th at the Federation of Korean Industries Conference Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Jin, an ICT expert who served as president of Samsung Electronics' Digital Media Division and the first Minister of Information and Communication under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, is regarded as one of the key figures who built the "semiconductor myth."

Jin recalled, "At that time, Chairman Lee came to the Giheung plant without any prior notice. He was so physically weak that he could barely climb the stairs, but he came there because he was angry." He added, "He sat down with the plant manager, research director, and secretary general and talked. The first thing the founder said was, 'Did you see the newspaper article?' He talked for a long time, using the example of Britain's invention of the steam engine to urge the development of the semiconductor industry."

According to Jin, at that time, Samsung Electronics could not produce color TVs without Sony's display chips from Japan. Jin recalled, "Analog chips (system semiconductors) are really difficult to make," and added, "Later, there were even rumors that Samsung copied the logos of Japanese companies on analog chips." Chairman Lee was taken to the emergency room the next day and passed away on November 19, 1987, two months later.

Jin showed emotion while sharing the anecdote about Chairman Lee. Introducing himself as the last executive appointed by Lee, Jin said, "Today, I want to pass on this legacy to those working in semiconductors," and added, "I hope you do well and continue to maintain and develop the semiconductor industry."

During the seminar, Jin also introduced the recent mid- to long-term trends in the rapidly changing semiconductor industry, emphasizing, "A policy environment that fosters semiconductor technology talent and motivates leading companies is necessary to dominate semiconductor supremacy. China declared its semiconductor rise in 2015 and is investing hundreds of trillions of won to catch up with Korean semiconductors, but due to strong U.S. sanctions and limitations in low technological self-sufficiency, it will take time, so we must not miss this opportunity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.