Samsung Electronics Co. chairman Lee Kun-hee was admitted to a hospital due to a respiratory problem after receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), company officials said Sunday.

Lee, 72, received CPR at a hospital near his home in central Seoul Saturday night and was moved to Samsung Medical Center, according to the officials.

"I can confirm that he is now at Samsung Medical Center," said an official. "He is in a very stable condition and is resting."

Lee, the de facto chief of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group, had received lung surgery in the late 1990s and has been suffering from respiratory complications since then.

Industry watchers believe Samsung Group is speeding up the power transfer to Lee's son Jae-yong due to the tycoon's health problems. (Yonhap)