Samsung Caught Bribing Government Officials

Dekortage writes "Allegedly, electronics giant Samsung Electronics attempted to bribe a South Korean government official with 5 million won (US$5,445). Ironically, the official was Lee Yong-chul, who was a presidential monitor against corruption at the time. This is the latest allegation against Samsung, which was recently accused of running 'a vast network of bribery through the government, the judiciary branch and the news media' that reaches all the way to South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun."

Comments

Has Samsung learned nothing from the U.S.?!?!

[elrous0]

Hey Samsung, you don't bribe OUTRIGHT! The smart way to do it is through major contributions to "non-political" nonprofits (like "Focus on the Family" or moveon.org) and hosting generous fundraisers for candidates where all your employees and anyone else you can muster show up at $2,000 a plate.

Geez, handing a politician an actual suitcase full of cash went out with Huey Long. The smart companies figured out long ago that there were much better, technically legal, ways to bribe their politicians.

Re:Has Samsung learned nothing from the U.S.?!?!

[evilviper]

Even better: give government officials high paying jobs in your company, the day they leave office.

Maybe even jobs where they directly lobby the government in your company's interests.

Re:Has Samsung learned nothing from the U.S.?!?!

[Asmodai]

Oh that's so true.

In South Korea and Japan giving gifts to business acquaintances is very common. Here in the Netherlands and some other countries such things are commonly forbidden in employee contracts as they're considered bribes.

That's the problem of viewing events only from your local cultural perspective.

South Korea

[Junky191]

I've spent enough time there to know that token respect bribes are just a part of how business gets done. I'm sure most of the large corporations are doing the same, it just seems Samsung slipped up and got caught.

Re:South Korea

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd expect it's as big a part of their culture as China.
Hardware certification testing for example, and most certainly all the recently recalled toys, are all effected by this, companies doing 'testing' in China, even if their management aren't aware of it, are often not actually testing products at all, a bribe is paid to an test engineer, the paperwork is done.

There are Chinese staff (in China) that are having to be told by international investors, to stop taking bribes (effectively halving their wage) otherwise the company will cease to function as it's getting noticed that the equipment coming out, does not in any way actually perform to the standard expressed in the test certificates given. It's all very well in china, but when the customer is overseas, and has to conform to overseas legislation, companies are (rightly) turning away from 'cheaper' testing alternatives based in asia, as they're finding their products turned away by their target markets, and then having to send them for re-testing.

The problems is of course they take the bibes as an accepted way of doing things there, and would have taken the job with that in mind, otherwise knowing it was underpaid.

Obviously what we actually want (need) is properly tested, safe, goods, that function fully as described. And I'd much rather see stickers with 'Made in China, fully safety/RF/you name it tested in UK'

I'm just actually sorry for the position many of the workers are in there.

A vast network of bribery in South Korea...

[digitaldc]

...also known as Washington lobbyists in the United States.

Consistency is Not Irony

[Doc Ruby]

Ironically, the official was Lee Yong-chul, who was a presidential monitor against corruption at the time.

That's not "irony". That's evidence that Samsung was also bribing or otherwise corrupting the government that Lee was paid not to monitor.

Even Alanis Morissette knows that bribing a cop to freely rob a house isn't "ironic".

Talk about a cheap date

[UbuntuDupe]

I didn't know you could buy off such a major official for only $5500. "Oh, sure, I'll risk public shame and losing all my influence in exchange for a week's pay."

Re:Bribing the monitor against corruption

[elrous0]

It's the classic Homegrown dilema. Bribe the cop too much, and he expects it from them on. Bribe him too little and he is insulted and busts you.

Corruption everywhere

[TheBearBear]

I grew up a bit naive, believing my country is different from others in terms of corruption, with all our checks and balances and just our culture. In other countries where corruption runs high, people just accept it as a way of life. But now I am reading all about corruption in my country and it just made me realize that our form corruption is most dangerous. Corruption hides behind all these wack laws and loopholes so alot of times we won't/can't recognize it as corruption, while other poor countries - tho they are off worse - know full well what it is.

You see, those countries' peoples will have a chance to fight because they know what it is. Depends on how bad they're willing to shed blood. THat's why their "leaders" rule with an iron hand. They're AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE. US, on the other hand - we don't even have the will to fight. We're too comfortable. Corruption THRIVES on this. Corruption doesn't have to rule with an iron hand. They know the sheep are fat and lazy.

We've all taken the red pill.

Re:Corruption everywhere

[Red Flayer]

Oh, I fully agree with you, but my personal perspective has changed.

When I was young and idealistic, I wanted to help the sheep rise up.

When I became older and more ambitious, I wanted to be the shepherd.

When I got even older and jaded, I realized that if I worked for the farm, I'd only ever get to be the sheepdog.

Now that I'm a relatively old cynic, I'm content to be a coyote -- too sharp to be herded, but not above using the farmer to get what I need.

Re:Bribery? In Southeast Asia?

[Anonymous Coward]

You are right. South Korea being in South East Asia is unheard of. Here is the map of Asia. South Korea is in the east despite the south in South Korea.

Re:Get the facts

[WindBourne]

And as somebody who lives in their back yard, what you say is incorrect. Dobson has been cuaght a number of times pushing candidates and ppl just below him pushing all sorts of money. The only difference between MoveOn, Club for Growth vs. Moral Majority, the Catholic church, and FotF, is that the later pretend to be about religion. They are ALL about pushing their agendas.