Lee Byung-Chul ya kafa Samsung a shekara ta 1938. Ya fara ne a matsayin karamin kamfani na kasuwanci tare da ma'aikata arba'in, wanda ke birnin Seoul. Kamfanin ya yi kyau sosai har zuwa lokacin da 'yan gurguzu suka mamaye a 1950, amma mamayewar ya haifar da asarar dukiya mai yawa. An tilasta Lee Byung-Chul ya fita kuma ya sake farawa a cikin 1951 a Suwon. A cikin shekara guda, dukiyar kamfanin ta karu har sau ashirin.
A cikin 1953, Lee ya ƙirƙiri matatar sukari - masana'antar farko ta Koriya ta Kudu tun ƙarshen yakin Koriya. "Kamfanin ya bunƙasa a ƙarƙashin falsafar Lee na sanya Samsung ya zama jagora a kowace masana'antar da ya shiga" (Saumsung Electronics). Kamfanin ya fara shiga cikin masana'antun sabis kamar inshora, tsaro da shagunan sashe. A farkon shekarun 70, Lee ya karbi rance daga kamfanoni na kasashen waje kuma ya fara harkar sadarwa ta hanyar kafa gidan rediyo da talabijin na farko (Samsung Electronics).
