The chairman of Samsung Electronics is “stable” following emergency heart surgery at a Samsung-operated hospital in Seoul.

Lee Kun-hee succeeded his father as head of the company in 1987 when it was mainly a producer of memory chips with a minor consumer electronics arm. In the 1990s, the company became the world’s leading television manufacturer.

 He is expected to pass on the role to his own son, vice-chairman Lee Jae-young in due course.