We at Samsung Corporation have dedicated ourselves to global business since 1938. We lead Korea's overseas trading activities and was designated by the government as the country's first General Trading Company (GTC) in 1975.

In 1996, Samsung Corporation merged with Samsung Engineering & Construction and also added retail to existing business portfolio of trading and apparel manufacturing. After spinning off hypermarket stores in a joint venture with Tesco of Britain, we now have three major business groups: trading, construction and housing development.

With the advent of the internet we have become a leading internet business with the largest on-line shopping mall (www.samsungmall.co.kr) in Korea and industry specific global e-marketplaces for chemicals and seafood products.

We also operate an award winning on-line trading catalog system, Merchant Intelligence System, for export of industrial and commodity goods. Operating from 82 overseas offices, the Trading Group is involved in a wide range of business projects worldwide. The company's main export items include semiconductors, plants, chemicals, and textiles. On the other hand, the Trading Division imports energy, chemicals and machinery. In addition to international trade, the division carries out project organizing business, natural resources development and investment in privatization projects of developing countries as well as in promising start-ups.

The Construction Group carries out various construction, civil engineering, industrial plant and land development projects around the world, with the most recent addition being nuclear power plant construction. In addition to building the world's tallest building, 92-story, 413-yard tall KLCC Petronas Tower in Malaysia, the Construction group has completed the New Inchon International Airport Expressway and is now taking part in a new harbor project in Pusan. The Construction Group was the first in Korea to obtain ISO 14001 quality certification for all operations related to construction.

The Housing Development Group is renowned in Korea for building quality condominiums and apartments equipped with fiber optic network in some of the best residential areas. As a result, condominiums built by Samsung command a higher market price than those of comparable size and location.