Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee is expected to spend the remainder of the year in Hawaii, reportedly to mull over Samsung’s next step, industry sources said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Lee headed out to the island, accompanied by his wife. He is to stay in Hawaii for around a month.

In particular, Lee is said to be concerned about Samsung’s next move, despite the fact the electronics company posted record-high earnings this year.

He has warned several times that Samsung is in crisis, and must cultivate new growth engines for the future. Samsung has been avidly diversifying its business as a result, with its corporate strategy office spearheading investment in a number of new fields.

How Samsung fares next year will be particularly crucial for Lee, as it marks the 20th anniversary of Lee’s so-called “new business management,” a strategy the chairman proclaimed in 1993 which is cited as pushing Samsung to become the cutting-edge electronics company it is today.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)