(LEAD) Samsung head Lee Kun-hee dies

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SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Kun-hee died at a hospital in Seoul on Sunday at age 78.

His death came six years after he was hospitalized following a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, on May 2014 to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Lee was sent to Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul and was put on hypothermia treatment, which prevents the generation of toxic material in blood vessels by slowing the cell metabolism.

Sources said Lee had been in stable condition and was capable of breathing without medical instruments, although he never fully recovered.

Lee received lung surgery in the late 1990s and had been suffering from respiratory complications since then. Due to his medical history, Lee had stayed overseas during the winter season to prevent respiratory ailments.

colin@yna.co.kr
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