2008 Woodie Awards
Samsung accused of bribery in Seoul
Tim May
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: World
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The chief prosecutor and anticorruption agent from President Roh Moo Hyun's cabinet were recently accused of accepting bribes from Samsung. Former chief lawyer of Samsung, Kim Yong Chul brought this news to the table when he admitted to bribing prosecutors on behalf on the Samsung companies.
"The root cause of bribery is twofold," said Assistant Professor of Business Management Deena Burris. "In some cases, low salaries in many types of jobs have made the acceptance of bribes a tolerated action. In other cases, political power and lack of legal repercussions have made bribery a common practice."
In South Korea, Burris' latter example has made headlines. On Nov. 11, South Korean President's Roh Moo Hyun's chief prosecutor and top anticorruption agent were accused of accepting bribes from Samsung, an electronics company known for its phones, computer chips, and flat screen televisions.
Kim Yong Chul, the former chief lawyer for Samsung, brought these accusations to the table when he admitted to personally bribing prosecutors on behalf of Samsung. According to Kim, Samsung has hidden a bribery list in downtown Seoul. Executives on behalf of the company were allegedly instructed to bribe the prosecutors with whom they have personal connections.
Kim decided to reveal this information due to his disgust at the hypocrisy of both Samsung and his government. He also pressed how important this issue is, citing the amount political influence that the company has.
"Prosecutors were only a small group that Samsung was managing," said Kim to the Herald Tribune. "It was on a much larger scale with the Ministry of Finance and the National Tax Service"
According to the New York Times, a number of Catholic priests, who spoke on behalf of Kim, challenged three powerful members of Hyun's cabinet for accepting these bribes. They accused Lim Chae Jin, the new prosecutor general, Lee Jong Baek, head of the Korea Independent Commission against Corruption, and Lee Gui Nam, the director of Central Investigations Bureau, a group that exists to investigate corruption allegations against politicians, government, and big business.
"The root cause of bribery is twofold," said Assistant Professor of Business Management Deena Burris. "In some cases, low salaries in many types of jobs have made the acceptance of bribes a tolerated action. In other cases, political power and lack of legal repercussions have made bribery a common practice."
In South Korea, Burris' latter example has made headlines. On Nov. 11, South Korean President's Roh Moo Hyun's chief prosecutor and top anticorruption agent were accused of accepting bribes from Samsung, an electronics company known for its phones, computer chips, and flat screen televisions.
Kim Yong Chul, the former chief lawyer for Samsung, brought these accusations to the table when he admitted to personally bribing prosecutors on behalf of Samsung. According to Kim, Samsung has hidden a bribery list in downtown Seoul. Executives on behalf of the company were allegedly instructed to bribe the prosecutors with whom they have personal connections.
Kim decided to reveal this information due to his disgust at the hypocrisy of both Samsung and his government. He also pressed how important this issue is, citing the amount political influence that the company has.
"Prosecutors were only a small group that Samsung was managing," said Kim to the Herald Tribune. "It was on a much larger scale with the Ministry of Finance and the National Tax Service"
According to the New York Times, a number of Catholic priests, who spoke on behalf of Kim, challenged three powerful members of Hyun's cabinet for accepting these bribes. They accused Lim Chae Jin, the new prosecutor general, Lee Jong Baek, head of the Korea Independent Commission against Corruption, and Lee Gui Nam, the director of Central Investigations Bureau, a group that exists to investigate corruption allegations against politicians, government, and big business.
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