TriGem

TriGem Computer Inc. (, abbreviated TG, also known as TG Sambo), was a South Korean personal computer manufacturer and technology company. Established in 1980, TriGem was the first Korean company dedicated to manufacturing computer systems. It delivered Korea's first microcomputer in 1981 and the first Korean IBM PC compatibles in 1984. From that point until its breakup in 2010, it alternated between the first- and second-largest computer manufacturer in South Korea, competing with Samsung Electronics.

==History== ===Foundation (1980–1997)=== thumb|left|TriGem Brite Lite, SPARC-based laptop TriGem Computer was founded in 1980 by Lee Yong-tae with ₩10,000,000 in start-up capital. TriGem was the first Korean company dedicated to manufacturing computer systems, bucking headwinds in an ecosystem of established chaebol conglomerates such as Hyundai, Lucky-Goldstar (LG), and Daewoo, which had opened divisions to manufacture computer components (such as DRAM) but reluctant about fully entering the burgeoning global microcomputer market. In 1981, TriGem delivered Korea's first microcomputer, and in 1984, they developed the country's first IBM PC–compatible personal computer. In 1982, TriGem forged a partnership with Seiko Epson of Japan, committing to build computer peripherals such as printers for the latter on an OEM basis. By 1990, TriGem cornered dot matrix printer production in Korea, with an 80-percent market share. The company began manufacturing Epson's Equity line of personal computers in 1987, after Epson had purchased a 20 percent stake in TriGem. By 1990, TriGem produced close to 500,000 computers annually; from 1987 to 1990, TriGem manufactured 300,000 computers for Epson.