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LG Exec Indicted Over Broken Samsung Washing Machine

Posted by samzenpus on from the breaking-the-law-and-machines dept.

itwbennett writes Jo Seong-jin, the head of LG's home appliance division, was indicted Sunday by prosecutors in Seoul for allegedly damaging Samsung Electronics' washing machines before the IFA electronics show in Berlin last September. The company says it was his regular practice to test the rival company's machines, something he has done while working for LG for the past 38 years, and has released closed-circuit television footage in his defense showing him testing Samsung products including washing machines, dish washers and refrigerators. Jo and two other employees are charged with vandalism, defamation and obstruction of business.

5 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Taken to the cleaners... by The+New+Guy+2.0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you break your opponents washing machine, they'll have you "taken the the cleaners"....

    1. Re:Taken to the cleaners... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      I don't see any problem with *buying* your competitors product and doing some testing on it.
      Sounds like a good business practice, to see what the competition is up to.

      On the flip side, damaging your competitors products - that you didn't pay for - right before a trade show where they're going to show them off... yup, I'd consider that vandalism and a criminal act.

    2. Re:Taken to the cleaners... by burtosis · · Score: 5, Funny
      Yep, after coming clean he's all washed up. No spin needed, just left out to dry.

      da da dum. I'll be here all day folks

    3. Re:Taken to the cleaners... by Carewolf · · Score: 5, Funny

      Agreed. Touching a competitor's setup at a trade fair is bush league.

      I don't buy that "testing" defense for a second. If you're a company that large you test by buying a machine anonymously at retail, take it to your labs, complete a test plan, then take it apart the see the build and components. Just randomly poking at stuff before a trade show isn't even going to give you much data.

      Doing this always breaks our machines. I wonder if our competitor has found a way to avoid it breaking?.... Oh, it appears not. How interesting.

  2. I'm confused by ripvlan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is he accused of damaging these AT the trade show or in a store? Or was LG buying the products and returning them to their secret lab to poke/prod them?

    I guess I'd be mad if my flagship products failed at a trade show - only to find that somebody had put sand in the tank overnight.

    This reminds me of an old Click & Clack episode where a caller had purchased a used VW...and while cleaning the trunk had found paperwork indicating the car was owned by the Chevy (Ford?) proving grounds. Tom & Ray assured the caller that some test driver was comparing the competition had driven the car to within an inch of it's life - and that the caller should either purchase the extended warranty or trade the car in ... now! They also suggested that the test driver had purposely left the evidence behind as a warning to future owners.