Samsung Union Chief in 'Illegal Surveillance of 100,000 People' Case Faces Possible Dismissal if Convicted

Together Union Intensively Collecting Petitions for Strict Punishment
Union Conflict Intensifies over 370 Million Won Contract with Chairman's Father-in-law's Company

It has been confirmed that members of the 'Donghaeng Labor Union,' comprised primarily of employees from the Device eXperience (DX) division at Samsung Electronics, are actively collecting petitions demanding severe punishment for Seungho Choi, chairman of the Samsung Group Super-Enterprise Labor Union.

Chairman Seungho Choi of the Samsung Electronics Branch of the Samsung Group Super-Enterprise Labor Union. Photo by Yonhap News.

According to industry sources on September 11, the Donghaeng Labor Union has been intensively gathering petitions for harsh punishment of Chairman Choi, who, along with five other union officials at locations including the Suwon campus, has been referred to the prosecution. They allegedly accessed the personal data of about 100,000 executives and employees of the company without authorization and compiled a list including their union membership status.

Earlier, Chairman Choi and the five other union officials were referred to the prosecution without detention on charges of conducting "illegal surveillance of 100,000 people." After wage and collective bargaining agreements were reached this year, the company submitted a statement of non-punishment to investigative authorities. However, since the charges are not subject to prosecution solely at the request of victims, the company’s statement alone does not terminate the case, and the investigation continues regardless of the victim's wishes.

If the charges are ultimately upheld, the maximum penalty could be up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won. Companies typically define a conviction of imprisonment or greater as grounds for disciplinary dismissal or mandatory retirement in their employment regulations. Since it is presumed that Samsung Electronics has similar provisions, submitting internal petitions for severe punishment could adversely affect sentencing. Should Chairman Choi be sentenced to imprisonment or greater, he may become subject to disciplinary dismissal.

In addition to the criminal prosecution, the Solidarity Struggle Headquarters, which involves the Super-Enterprise Labor Union, came under scrutiny when it was revealed that since March, it purchased assembly supplies worth approximately 370 million won from a company operated by Chairman Choi's father-in-law. This has led to a dispute with other unions over the facts, further undermining Chairman Choi’s standing.

Chairman Choi’s camp responded to the controversy by stating, "The supplies were procured by selecting the lowest bid after comparing quotations from multiple companies, and the executive board of the other union also agreed." However, organizations such as the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union directly refuted this, saying, "We were never aware of the fact that the company belonged to the chairman’s father-in-law or approved any contracts with them." As the controversy intensified, a civic group filed a complaint against Chairman Choi with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on September 10 for embezzlement and obstruction of business.

When Deputy Chairperson Songyi Lee and some other officials raised concerns about the contract with the chairman’s father-in-law’s company and demanded an audit, Chairman Choi immediately revoked their time-off work rights and reclaimed their use of union dormitories and vehicles, effectively imposing disciplinary measures against dissenting members. This has accelerated internal divisions within the Super-Enterprise Labor Union.

The Super-Enterprise Labor Union plans to convene a general meeting on September 16, during which a vote of no confidence against Deputy Chairperson Lee and others will be put forward. Additionally, an amendment to the union’s rules, limiting union membership to employees of the semiconductor (DS) division, is set to be considered. If these agendas are approved, existing DX division union members will be forcibly removed from the union.

As conflicts persist, defections from the Super-Enterprise Labor Union are also accelerating. The number of its members, which stood at around 76,000 in April, has plunged to about 53,000 as of early this month. This is more than 10,000 below the threshold of 64,500 needed to maintain legal representative status. Meanwhile, the Donghaeng Labor Union, primarily comprised of DX division members, has benefited from the situation, increasing its membership from about 2,000 to nearly 30,000 during the same period, thereby emerging as the second-largest union.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.