On Thursday, Samsung said it would continue a 9.3 trillion share buyback program this year, repurchasing 670,000 common shares and 168,000 preferred shares over the next three months. Samsung has so far repurchased about 5 trillion won worth of shares. Less than a year ago, Samsung's potential ascension to the world's most-profitable technology company, even for a singular quarter, would have seemed bold. Last fall, its Galaxy Note 7 devices overheated, and some caught fire, handing Samsung a crisis that ended with an embarrassing global recall that cost the company more than $5 billion. Then in February, Samsung's de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, was put behind bars, accused of having a role in the country's corruption scandal. Mr. Lee denies wrongdoing and is standing trial.