Speeding Lee Jae-yong's 'Global New Samsung'... M&A Results Under Close Watch (Comprehensive)

Visit to North American Production Base Mexico Factory

First Overseas Business Trip After Lottery
Quer?taro Home Appliance Factory, Harman Factory, etc.

Planned Visit to UK Afterwards
Examining Acquisition Possibility of M&A Candidate ARM, etc.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is seen visiting the home appliance factory in Queretaro, Mexico, on the 9th (local time) to inspect the products being manufactured. (Photo by Samsung Electronics)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is accelerating his global on-site management as he visits Mexico for his first overseas business trip since the special pardon on Liberation Day. Although Vice Chairman Lee departed as a special envoy appointed by President Yoon Seok-yeol to support the bid for the '2030 Busan World Expo,' he reportedly showed swift actions by touring local overseas business sites and continuing merger and acquisition (M&A) contacts. Attention is focused on whether the M&A outcomes of this overseas trip will be announced alongside his inauguration as chairman.

According to Samsung Electronics and business circles on the 13th, Vice Chairman Lee visited Samsung Electronics' home appliance factory in Quer?taro and the Samsung Engineering Dos Bocas refinery construction site in Mexico on the 9th and 10th (local time), respectively, touring the business sites. This was his first visit to the Quer?taro home appliance factory.

Earlier, on the 8th, he met with Mexican President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador to request support for the 2030 Busan Expo bid. Vice Chairman Lee explained Samsung Electronics' local business status in Mexico to President Obrador and expressed gratitude for the Mexican government's support of Samsung.

Initially, the United States or the United Kingdom was mentioned as Vice Chairman Lee's first overseas trip destination after the pardon. Contrary to expectations, Mexico was chosen, which is interpreted as a move to strengthen business in the Americas. Mexico is close to the United States and is emerging as a production hub for home appliances in the North American region. Additionally, Samsung owns the Harman production plant in Mexico, which Vice Chairman Lee also visited during this trip.

Following Latin America, Vice Chairman Lee is expected to visit Europe, including the United Kingdom. In the UK, Samsung Electronics operates its European headquarters along with an artificial intelligence (AI) research center in Cambridge and a European design research institute in London.

ARM, a fabless semiconductor design company often mentioned as a major M&A candidate for Samsung Electronics, is also based in the UK, raising expectations that Vice Chairman Lee will explore acquisition possibilities during this trip. Furthermore, during the United Nations General Assembly later this month, there is speculation that he may visit the United States to promote the Busan Expo and review potential acquisition candidates locally.

Business circles view Vice Chairman Lee's overseas trip as both an inspection of local business conditions and internal consolidation, as well as a full-scale move toward M&A. Accordingly, there is anticipation that the outline of M&A plans may become clearer after the trip.

M&A candidates include ARM, Germany's automotive, industrial, and power system semiconductor company Infineon, and the Netherlands' NXP. Considering that Vice Chairman Lee flew directly to the Netherlands in June before the pardon to seek cooperation from EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography equipment maker ASML, it is also speculated that he may lead deals from a 'supply chain management' perspective.

A business insider said, "Since the pardon, Vice Chairman Lee's domestic and international activities have noticeably accelerated. It appears he has begun active efforts as a presidential special envoy to secure the Busan Expo, as well as to inspect business operations."

Meanwhile, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee's 'New Management Declaration,' which served as a driving force for Samsung's rise as a global company. This is why Vice Chairman Lee's actions are often described as the 'New Samsung.' Given the challenges he faces?including Samsung Group's organizational and governance restructuring, his promotion to chairman, execution of a 450 trillion won investment, and security issues like 'Chip4' (South Korea, the United States, Japan, Taiwan)?business circles agree that substantial achievements are more urgently needed than ever for Vice Chairman Lee.

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