About us
(Seoul=Yonhap Infomax) Young Sook Yoon – Lee Chan-hee, Chair of the Samsung Compliance Committee, stated that the committee plans to review the recent controversy over internal information leaks at Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's largest company by market value.
Speaking to reporters on the 25th at the Samsung Life Insurance Seocho office in Seoul, ahead of the third regular meeting of the Compliance Committee, Lee said, "Information protection is a highly important area, so we plan to examine whether any illegal activities may have occurred."
Previously, the Samsung Electronics branch of the Samsung Group's Super Enterprise Labor Union (Super Enterprise Union) alleged that sensitive information had been left exposed on Samsung Electronics' internal document management system (EDM), allowing unrestricted viewing and downloading.
The union has officially reported the issue to the Personal Information Protection Commission and formally requested the Compliance Committee to launch an investigation.
Similar information leakage issues have also arisen at Samsung Biologics Co., a leading biopharmaceutical affiliate of Samsung Group, with allegations that Samsung Electronics' Business Support Office was involved in personnel matters at Samsung Biologics.
When asked whether the committee would address the internal personal information leak at Samsung Biologics, Lee responded that Samsung Biologics is not among the seven companies under the committee's agreement, adding, "Although Samsung C&T is the largest shareholder, under the current shareholding structure, there is no legal authority to monitor subsidiaries under the Commercial Act. We will discuss with the committee today whether this can be addressed as a future agenda item."
He further noted that, as Samsung C&T is a partner company, "We will also closely monitor whether there are any related issues."
The Samsung Group Labor Union Solidarity requested a meeting with Park Hak-kyu, President of Samsung Electronics' Business Support Office, and Lee Chan-hee, Chair of the Compliance Committee, on the 19th.
Regarding the union's claim that the Business Support Office intervened in affiliate personnel matters, Lee said, "At this point, I cannot comment as I do not know how the Business Support Office operates," but added, "We will continue to closely monitor for any compliance-related issues."
Asked to evaluate Samsung's recent personnel appointments, Lee commented, "As an objective third party, I have thought that due to Chairman Lee Jae-yong's legal risks, Samsung may not have been able to actively pursue technology development. As a technology company, it is natural for Samsung to prioritize technical talent."
Lee also reiterated his personal view regarding calls for Chairman Lee Jae-yong to return as a registered executive, stating that his position remains unchanged.
ysyoon@yna.co.kr
(End)
Copyright © Yonhap Infomax Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited.