[Nov. 30] Samsung’s violence to the protesters on the day of the 25th anniversary event commemorating the inauguration of Lee Gun-Hee

[아름드리 나무]

Nov. 30, 2012 was the day of the 25^th anniversary event commemorating the inauguration of Lee Gun-Hee, President of Samsung.

According to the joint press release by the Samsung General Labor Union and Nationwide Evicted People’s Association (NEPA, afterward) on Dec. 5:

-       It happened that the Samsung security workers put violence for more than 10 minutes on Mr. Kim Seong-Hwan, chairman of the Samsung General Labor Union and secretary Ms. Bang of the NEPA  in the center of Seoul on the day. The two had been holding one-man protest (* the only legal protest form in Korea that does not need police permission) in front of the building gate of the Joongang Ilbo( * A news media company owned by Samsung). When it was a moment that Lee Gun-Hee was to enter the building, the Samsung security workers dragging the two about 40 m into the pavement from the gate and throwing them down, pressured their arms, legs, bodies, and heads, curbed their mouths, and hit them. The security workers were even measuring time while pressuring the neck of Bang, which amounts close to murder. A witnessing citizen reported it to a police station and when the police appeared, Mr. Kim accused the Samsung security workers to them. (The two victims got the medical diagnosis of two weeks and three weeks each)

Photo by the Samsung General Labor Union: A member of the NEPA suffers for the injury in her face, which was caused by the violence by the Samsung security workers. 

-       At the same time that was around 3:15 pm, Jung Ae-Jung, widow of a deceased Samsung worker who died for industrial disease due to the bad work condition of Samsung,  who had been doing one-man protest in front of the Hoam Art Hall(Samsung-owned cultural event venue) was also surrounded by 7~8 Samsung security workers and oppressed by them. Mr. Han yong-Gi, a laid-off worker of Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance was also caught in arms and legs and curbed mouth.

Photo by the Samsung General Labor Union: A widow of the deceased Samsung worker for leukemia is suffering , surrounded by the Samsung security workers who curbed her mouth. 

-       About 10 Samsung security workers also surrounded an old woman of the NEPA so that she could not move. When the secretary of the Samsung General Labor Union was to take photos of their violence, the security workers pushed her to the roadway and closely circled around her.

The Samsung General Labor Union and NEPA defining the violence by the Samsung Security as the organized and planned anti-labor and anti-social infringement on human rights, will accuse not to mention the Samsung security workers, but Lee Gun-Hee, chief of the security workers, and a representing advisory board member of the Samsung S1, under the charges of violence and violence-instigation caused from their negligence on directing and supervising on the security workers.

For the original Korean document, see here.