One tidbit not mentioned is that Samsung's Emperor Lee Kun-hee is in a coma (most likely brain-dead) for several months, and his son is not officially the Emperor... I'm sorry, I mean the CEO of Samsung group yet, because Lee the father is not officially dead.
So, many mid- to high-level managers in Samsung could be postponing highly visible projects until the new leader steps in and clears up which way the company will be heading. (I once heard, from someone in a different Korean company, that there are implicit agreements to not be "too good" on the book in such a situation: if your company does just as well when the beloved leader is on bed / in prison / whatever, then the leader might not be the reason for the company's success. Can't have that.)
Well, OK, "beloved leader" might be hyperbolic, but portraying Samsung's management style as "Emperor Management" is hardly new. Googling for "이건희 황제 경영" (Lee Kun-hee Emperor Management) gives >1M hits.
Think of it like Steve Jobs-style super-asshole management, and then imagine that Jobs does everything (legal or illegal) to cook the books so that his son (with questionable track record) can inherit the company without paying tax. And imagine reporters who raise the issue in "respectable" news organizations get fired. (One of the leading news organization is led by his brother-in-law.)
* From the latest development, it seems he's not quite brain-dead yet. Sorry about spreading misinformation.
I suppose it's just a reference to the absurd deference which leaves him as CEO with no replacement when he's in a coma. And the fact that his position will be inherited by his son, no questions asked.
Apparently there are some similarities between North Korean and South Korean culture (which is not very strange, since the border between them is an accident of recent history).
So, many mid- to high-level managers in Samsung could be postponing highly visible projects until the new leader steps in and clears up which way the company will be heading. (I once heard, from someone in a different Korean company, that there are implicit agreements to not be "too good" on the book in such a situation: if your company does just as well when the beloved leader is on bed / in prison / whatever, then the leader might not be the reason for the company's success. Can't have that.)