Samsung whistle-blower publishes revealing book about the company’s corruption

Posted on : 2010-02-01 12:54 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Attorney Kim Yong-chul says Samsung has lobbied governmental authorities and influenced court decisions for corporate gain
” 삼성을 생각한다
” 삼성을 생각한다

On the plane owned by former Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee, which was remodeled from a 100-passenger into a 16-passenger plane, sat Kim Yong-chul, former head of the legal department at Samsung’s Restructuring Office, and several incumbent prosecutors. When Kim and prosecutors needed to travel to offer condolences to the family in mourning, Lee Hak-soo, then-vice chairman of Samsung allowed them use the private plane owned by then-chairman Lee Kun-hee. This instance demonstrated the relationship between Samsung Group and some prosecutors.

Attorney Kim Yong-chul, who was the whistle-blower within Samsung in October 2007 over the chaebol’s corruption including Lee Kun-hee’s slush fund, published a book entitled “Thinking about Samsung,” on Jan. 29. In this book, he gave detailed accounts of Samsung’s behavior and wrote that the company has lobbied governmental authorities including the court officials, prosecutors and national tax service officials and has not hesitated to distort proof for transferring Samsung’s management rights to Lee Jae-yong, the son of Lee Kun-hee.

The events described by Kim in the book are shocking. In his book, Kim revealed the real names of individuals Samsung had previously lobbied. In one example, Kim wrote that Samsung lobbied one judge through using the vice president of a Samsung-affiliated company who is an alumni of the judge’s university. Kim wrote, “Three individuals including the judge, the vice president of the company and me had played golf together.” The judge became the presiding judge of Samsung’s trial in 2007. He also said that Samsung had visited the home of the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to lobby him, and at that time, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office received criticism from the people because there was little progress in its investigation into the sale of convertible bonds to the chairman’s heir in December 1996 at a cost substantially lower than the market value.

In addition, Kim also said in his book that the Samsung Group compensated the losses of the brother-in-law of the senior prosecutor who was in charge of the Samsung investigation when the brother-in-law incurred losses by investing in Samsung Security stock.

Kim said that he wrote this book in order to say, “Lies cannot become the truth even if they are confirmed in a court of law.” He also asked, “Is it not absolutely ridiculous that Samsung treats a person who is an expert at making slush funds better than a person who is an expert in making semiconductors?”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]