One of South Korea's biggest names, Samsung,... celebrates its 80th anniversary today. <br />Despite the conglomerate's de facto leader being entangled in the political scandal that lead to the ousting of the former president, Samsung remains a top global name.<br /> Lee Jeong-yeon has the details. <br /> South Korean conglomerate Samsung commemorated its 80th anniversary on Thursday.<br /> Although an anniversary would normally call for a big celebration, this year's commemoration was a rather quiet affair, what with the ongoing trial of political figures that were involved in the scandal that led to former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment last year. Samsung's de facto chief and vice chairman Lee Jae-yong was embroiled in that political scandal. An official from Samsung said there would be no festivities this year, and that Lee wouldn't be making any public appearances.<br /> Instead Samsung celebrated the occasion by screening a documentary on the history of the company. Samsung also plans to run a corporate social responsibility program for a month.<br /> Despite the political scandal, Samsung maintains its title as a number one 'global brand' in electronics including television and semi-conductors.<br /> The company that started out with a capital of just 30 US dollars is now worth more than 360 trillion won, or 340 billion dollars. Not accounting for inflation, that's more than a 10-billion-fold jump in 80 years. <br /> As for staff, what started out with a small team of 40 executives is now a huge organization with 500-thousand both in Korea and abroad. <br /> The 16 Samsung subsidiaries listed on the KOSPI take up more than 30 percent of the KOSPI's total market capital, and Samsung Electronics makes up almost a quarter of all South Korean exports.<br /><br />Lee Jeong-yeon, Arirang News<br />
