Lee Kun-hee, who transformed Samsung into global conglomerate, dies at 78

Lee, who told employees to "change everything except your wife and children" during his drive to foster innovation and challenge rivals such as Sony Corp., was South Korea's richest person.\

Lee Kun-hee, who transformed Samsung Electronics Co. from a copycat South Korean appliance maker into the world’s biggest producer of smartphones, televisions and memory chips, has died. He was 78.
 

Lee passed away on Sunday with his family by his side, the company said in a statement, without mentioning the cause of death. He had surgery in 2014 after a heart attack and was treated for lung cancer in the late 1990s.
 

Lee, who told employees to “change everything except your wife and children” during his drive to foster innovation and challenge rivals such as Sony Corp., was South Korea’s