Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee has woken out of an induced coma and is becoming more responsive to external stimuli after a heart attack earlier this month.
The Samsung Medical Center quoted neurologists as saying that there is hope that Lee will recover his cognitive functions. His heart, lung and other organs are functioning perfectly.
Since being moved out of intensive care on May 19, Lee has reportedly opened his eyes a few times. "The hypothermia treatment is over, and we are waiting for him to fully regain consciousness," a Samsung spokesman said.
But some doctors say just opening the eyes may not mean that Lee is regaining consciousness. "It may just mean that he simply responded to noise while in a semi-comatose state," one doctor said.
