Samsung Electronics on Friday marked its 56th founding anniversary with a subdued commemorative event held in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, one day ahead of the official date. Chair Lee Jae-yong did not issue a separate message, maintaining the low-key tone seen in recent years.
During the ceremony, Vice Chair and CEO Jun Young-hyun underscored the urgent need for the company to restore its fundamental competitiveness and lead the next wave of innovation in the artificial intelligence era.
"Samsung Electronics stands at a critical inflection point amid prolonged internal and external uncertainties," Jun said in his commemorative speech. “We must return to first principles, focusing on the essence of technology and the perfection of quality to regain our foundational strengths.”
Emphasizing the accelerating transformation driven by AI, Jun called on the tech giant to assume a leadership role in shaping the new industrial landscape.
“AI is already blurring the boundaries between industries and reshaping the world. Samsung must not follow this change — we must drive it,” he said.
“Let us fully integrate our unique technological expertise with AI capabilities and leap forward as an ‘AI-driven company’ that redefines customer needs and the surrounding ecosystem.”
Jun also positioned the anniversary as a symbolic new starting line for greater growth. “Let us take on bold new challenges with trust in one another and the power of unity.”
This year’s anniversary message echoed themes from the previous year: a focus on technological leadership, organizational culture and AI. But where last year’s remarks emphasized “strengthening essential technology leadership,” this year’s speech called for securing “fundamental competitiveness in technology.”
On AI, Jun’s tone also shifted from recognizing “rapid environmental change” to actively positioning Samsung as a leader in AI innovation.
The ceremony was attended by about 400 executives and employees. The event featured long-service and exemplary employee awards, a celebratory performance, Jun’s address and a commemorative video presentation.
yeeun@heraldcorp.com
