Mario Bautista
Samsung Electronics has been making great home appliances for decades and this heartwarming story is a testament to the quality and durability of the products that it makes. A simple microwave oven that remained a fixture in the kitchen of Kim Kyu-won for 37 years and served the family diligently has been donated by the owner to the Samsung Innovation Museum.
Kyu-won, an honorary professor at the College of Pharmacy in the Seoul National University, bought the Samsung microwave in 1986 when he was a researcher at Harvard University in the United States.
A microwave returns to Samsung after 37 years
“Back then, most home appliances were either Japanese or American. When I spotted the Samsung logo in a department store, I felt a sense of pride and bought the microwave on the spot,” he said, reminiscing about the moment when he bought the Samsung microwave oven not long after starting married life in the US.
This was a Samsung MW5500 model that had a wooden cabinet design. These were made for export and featured button-operated controls and a flatbed try which allowed for the full use of the cooking area. That’s one of the reasons why this classic microwave model was so loved by consumers in the United States.
The microwave has held up remarkably well. “We used it for 37 years without a single malfunction,” he said. “We never even had to replace the light bulb.” The couple had planned to use the microwave for 40 years before donating it to Samsung but his wife unexpectedly passed away in 2022, so he decided to donate it earlier. To pay respect to the couple and appreciate their decades-long ownership of the microwave, Samsung has engraved the couple’s names on the donators’ nameplate.
This is a touching story that also highlights the deep respect and appreciation that Samsung receives from its compatriots in particular, who take pride in the company’s creations and stick with them for decades.
