Samsung Board Chairman Jailed on Union Sabotage Charge

Bloomberg 17 December 2019 | Sohee Kim and Stephen Stapczynski

Samsung Electronics Co. Board Chairman Lee Sang-hoon was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday after being found guilty of obstructing the formation of the company’s labor union, according to the Seoul Central District Court.

Lee was charged with leading an operation to sabotage a newly formed labor group at Samsung’s customer-service unit in 2013 when he was chief financial officer. Samsung’s executive vice president Kang Kyung-hoon was also sentenced to 18 months for violating the country’s labor law.

Dozens of current and former employees at Samsung units were also convicted on charges of illegally cracking down on union activities. Some were sentenced to prison while others received suspended jail terms or ordered to pay fines.