Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, in his New Year’s message, stressed ways of exploring new growth engines by renewing a challenging spirit to overcome the uncertainties that loom large in the years to come. 

Lee attended the business group’s New Year’s meeting at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on Jan. 2 for the third straight year. Among those on hand at the ceremony were Chairman Lee’s offspring, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Shilla Hotel President Lee Bu-jin, and Jeil Industries Vice President Lee Suh-hyun.

“We should make a new start without resting on our laurels. We’re entrusted with a mission of exploring paths for new growth by challenging repeatedly.” In his video message aired during the ceremony, Chairman Lee called for exploring new businesses to be responsible for the future of the business group. 

“In difficult times, differences in competitiveness loom large,” said Lee, stressing the fact that they will result in the survival of the strongest. 

In particular, he said, companies around the world are engaging in a cut-throat fight on all fronts, from securing manpower and technology development to patent disputes, going beyond a competition on the basis of quality. And last year, he said, saw Samsung reap the biggest achievements, which led to a patent dispute with Apple as the iPhone maker attempted to constrain the Korean electronics maker. 

The chairman reconfirmed the group’s management tenet of pursuing the best, saying that the future of the business group hinges on how many global No. 1 products and services Samsung has in the years to come. 

Responding to the public pledges of the President-elect Park Geun-hye government, Lee revealed his determination to join the public call for making aggressive investments and creating jobs. This move may be construed as the Samsung Group’s proactive response to President-elect Park’s policy on economic democratization. Lee said the more the national economy suffers, the more companies should shoulder social responsibility in order to buttress the economy. 

The year 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of Lee’s declaring the group’s new management tenets, which have become a driving force behind what the business group now stands for under the global spotlight. 

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS’ SALES RECORD - Samsung Electronics announced it chalked up more than 200 trillion won in annual sales during last year.

Amidst the global recession, Samsung Electronics became the first Korean company to break the 200 trillion won mark ($188 billion) in annual sales. 

A regulatory filing of 2012 preliminary estimates made on Jan. 8 showed that Samsung Electronics posted 201.05 trillion won in sales and 29 trillion won in operating profits. The sales represented a surge of 21.8 percent from 2011’s 165 trillion won, while operating profits also jumped 78.4 percent from 2011’s 16.25 trillion won, which was a record at that time.

Samsung Electronics’ continued setting of new records was owed to brisk sales of Galaxy S3 and Note 2 mobile devices in the global market, company officials said.