Samsung Group mulls moving Lee home for treatment

Lee Kun-hee, the de facto head of Samsung Group who has been hospitalized since May after suffering a heart attack, might be transferred to his house for further medical treatment, group sources said Friday, amid media reports that his condition is improving.

   In preparation for home medical treatment, the sources said that Samsung Group is building an elevator inside Lee's house located in central Seoul.

   "It is right that we are building an elevator in case of his release from the hospital," a Samsung Group official said. "But nothing has been decided about when he is going to be discharged."

   Earlier, business sources said that Lee has recovered enough to be able to sit in a wheelchair. Samsung has not confirmed it, only saying that his condition is "improving."

   In May, the chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., the group's mainstay unit, was rushed to a hospital near his home after experiencing difficulty breathing. Lee was transferred to Samsung Medical Center the next morning, where he underwent a procedure to widen his blood vessels.

   The 72-year-old tycoon was put on hypothermia treatment until the end of May. Doctors said the treatment was based on Lee's age and medical history, which includes lung surgery in the late 1990s and respiratory complications since then. (Yonhap)