[Editorial] Time For Some Answers From Lee Kun Hee

Samsung chairman Lee Kun Hee suddenly returned to Korea on Saturday, five months after he left the country right as the "X File" investigation got underway last September. He was criticized for seemingly haven taken flight, but invoking personal health problems he stubbornly remained overseas and while outside the country he avoided both being called before the National Assembly and a summons from the prosecution. Eventually the prosecution freed Samsung of allegations it gave large illegal donations during the last presidential election. His return looks as if there were clear calculations about public opinion and the current situation, as was the case with his sudden departure.

At the airport he said he was "sorry for making a commotion over the past year" and "all responsibility lies with me." His comments are most welcome if he means he is not going to evade bearing responsibility. He is, to begin with, he one of the key men how stands accused in the Samsung Everland stock-giving affair. At the first trial, Lee's son Jae Yong was found to have been given shares in Everland at a deliberately low price. The Lee family can no longer avoid a legal judgment on its problematic inheritance methods and profiteering. Lee Kun Hee should actively cooperate with the prosecution's investigation.

Already you hear talk from people associated with the prosecution that there are no immediate plans to subpoena Lee or issue a ban on foreign travel. Prosecutors need to approach this investigation as if it is their very last chance to rid themselves of suspicions some among them have been receiving regular bribes from Samsung for years. The National Assembly needs to finalize a decision on the issue of whether to have a "special law" or special counsel to investigate the "X File" as soon as possible, because the people's suspicions about collusion between government, business, and the media must not be buried away because of a prosecution decision not to pursue charges because of the statute of limitations or the principle that evidence illegally obtained should not be considered.

It is ironic that in Samsung's hallways you can hear talk of how a conglomerate doing so well is experiencing the biggest crisis since its founding. The problems of the succession of managerial rights and Samsung's control structure cannot be solved without a sense of social responsibility commensurate with being the country's largest conglomerate. Going about legal battles saying there is nothing legally wrong with the family's shares acquisition procedures or superficially going through the motions with social contribution projects will only strengthen accusations that Samsung always has its way. There has to be an end to the way the family owning a conglomerate that represents Korea can use roundabout and illegal practices to maintain its control and the group's backward management structure. That is why Lee needs to stop "managing from seclusion" and engage in dialogue with Korean society.

The Hankyoreh, 6 February 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]