Seoul traffic tower protester climbs down from 82-foot tower after 355 days
Incredible: Samsung apologized.
South Korean activist Kim Yong-hee, who’s reportedly been seeking an apology from Samsung for 25 years, has climbed down from an 82-foot traffic tower in Seoul’s busiest intersection after 355 days.
According to the Associated Press, the 60-year-old, who alleged he’d been fired from the company in 1995 for union mobilizing, had decided to come down after Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong promised to stop union-busting at the company. Samsung executives have emerged from felony and corruption charges, unscathed, for years—most notably, Lee Kun-hee getting off from bribery charges twice with no jail time–but have lately been held to account. Lee has long been the focus of a corruption scandal, and Samsung Electronics’ board chairman Lee Sang-hoon recently stepped down after he was sentenced to prison for union sabotage, with 25 other defendants charged in the same trial.
The New York Times reports that Samsung has agreed to some of Kim’s demands in a private agreement. It’s unclear what demands were met, but Samsung did publicly say it was sorry.
