[Editorial] Why Should Samsung Employees Apologize?

[Editorial] Why Should Samsung Employees Apologize?

The apology issued by Samsung the other day in relation to the National Security Planning Agency's eavesdropping tape is hard to call an apology. It is lacking in sincerity in that it blames the situation on "illegal eavesdropping and irresponsible disclosure and circulation," but the bigger fault is to be found in the entity making the apology. The document itself says "signed by the executives and employees of the Samsung group." That avoids the true essence of the issue and all it does is remind you again of the feudality of how Samsung is run.

The party behind the apology should have been chairman Lee Kun Hee and "restructuring headquarters chief" Lee Hak Soo. Rank and file employees are actually the victims. The pride they have in their jobs has been hurt, and they probably have had no small amount of mental conflict as a result of what has transpired. It would have been noble of everybody who works for the conglomerate to have apologized for feeling morally responsible. But if the men who need to be apologizing are off in the distance being noble does not mean anything and it might be deceiving the people. It would be silly to claim that "executives and employees" includes the "chairman." The document said Samsung is apologizing to the people, and yet you wonder how many around the country will accept that apology?

One understands that people at the working level on that Samsung apology would have a hard time mentioning the names of Lee Kun Hee and the man second in command given the climate at Korea's jaebeols, where the tycoon is untouchable like a feudal emperor. It would be desirable to two men to rise to the occasion themselves if also to help the working level people out of their predicament. The issue at hand is obvious for all to see, and so by continuing to hide they are unbecoming of the major figures they are in the business world. When the president does something wrong the people do not receive an apology that says, "signed by all civil servants." The president and a company are not the same but the principle is.

The reason reflecting on what you have done in the past is that it is a point of departure for making sure what happened in the past does not happen again. We have already called for Samsung to take the initiative in making the truth known, and for it to act in a way that makes the people believe nothing similar will ever happen again. The right way to go about that would be to make sure the self-reflection is sincere and have those responsible apologize.

The Hankyoreh, 27 July 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]