Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee died at the age of 78 on Sunday, the company said.

Lee Kun-Hee, chairman of South Korea's largest group Samsung, speaks during a press conference at the group's headquarters in Seoul on April 22, 2008. (File photo: AFP)

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Kun-hee Lee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics," the firm said in a statement.

Lee, who turned Samsung Electronics into a global tech giant, was left bedridden by a heart attack in 2014.