Chairman Sanghoon Lee Resigns from Samsung Electronics Board Chairmanship

Chairman Lee sentenced to prison in first trial for leading union-busting operations against Samsung Electronics subsidiary's labor union in December last year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Lee Sang-hoon, chairman of Samsung Electronics' board of directors, who was sentenced to imprisonment in the first trial for leading the union-busting of Samsung Electronics' subsidiaries, resigned from his chairman position on the 14th.

Samsung Electronics announced in the afternoon, "Chairman Lee conveyed his intention to resign from the board chairman position, including as an inside director, to the board of directors."

Chairman Lee is considered a key executive of Samsung Electronics, having served as head of the Business Support Team, head of the Management Support Office, and head of Strategy Team 1 at Samsung Group's Future Strategy Office.

Earlier, in December of last year, Chairman Lee was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison in the first trial and was taken into custody for leading the 'union-busting operation' of Samsung Electronics' subsidiaries.

Among 32 Samsung executives and employees including Chairman Lee, 26 were found guilty in the first trial, prompting Samsung Electronics and Samsung C&T to issue a statement saying, "We deeply apologize for causing worry and disappointment to many people due to labor issues."

Samsung Electronics added, "The Samsung Electronics board of directors plans to appoint a successor chairman through a board resolution soon."

The Samsung Electronics board of directors consists of 6 outside directors and up to 5 inside directors, fewer than the outside directors. Currently, excluding Chairman Lee, the board is composed of 3 inside directors (Kim Ki-nam, Kim Hyun-suk, Ko Dong-jin) and 6 outside directors (Park Jae-wan, Kim Sun-wook, Park Byung-guk, Kim Jong-hoon, Ahn Kyu-ri, Kim Han-jo).