Samsung’s Leeum Museum of Art, founded by the wife of Samsung’s
chairman, Lee Kun-hee. A prestigious landmark, the museum was home to
paintings by Rothko and art pieces by Damien Hirst and a magnificent
collection of medieval Korean pottery. After grabbing a cup of coffee
nearby, I would continue up through the posh hillside neighborhood of
Hannam, stacked with luxury homes that resembled military bunkers—
some the homes of Samsung’s powerful ruling family.
One of the first houses was that of Jay Y. Lee, son of Chairman Lee
and heir to the Samsung dynasty. His home was down the hill from the
home of his father, pursuant to strict Confucian hierarchy. The chairman’s
home was located on a scenic overlook according to the Korean art of
geomancy; it was a structure of stunning traditional beauty. The chairman,
known to be a recluse, had a breathtaking view of the city below.
After my morning exercise, I would head down and grab a bus to the
government’s Foreign Press Center, with its view of a public square,
Gwanghwamun. From my offices on the tenth floor, I usually took notice
of the Samsung and LG Electronics ads hanging over the neighborhood. In
the square below, there were never-ending political demonstrations for or
against Samsung, or about this or that political issue. Those on the left
typically hung out around the statue of King Sejong, a beloved scholar-
king who invented South Korea’s alphabet, in the center of the square,
while the right-wing groups picketed across the street at the edges of the
square.
On any given day, there could be dozens to thousands of these
demonstrators, depending on the political mood. Most of the protesters
were legitimate, though the South Korean media exposed some of the
probusiness conservatives for taking payments for their protests from the
Federation of Korean Industries, a major business lobbying organization. I
would go back and forth between the rival camps during coffee breaks.
“Samsung built this nation! Fed our people! Clothed us when we had
nothing! Gave us jobs! Brought us global prestige! Only leftist zombies
dare oppose Samsung!” shouted one elderly protester, a patriotic military
veteran wearing an insignia cap.
I wandered across the street to the tents of those on the left—some of
them had camped out for weeks—for their response.
“Did Marie Antoinette say, ‘Let them eat cake’? Samsung bought our
nation! We say, ‘Off with their heads!’ ”