Court Rules "Samsung Union Busting Case, Compensation Must Be Paid to Union" (Comprehensive)

The Korean Metal Workers' Union (Metal Union) won a partial victory in a damages lawsuit it filed, claiming that Samsung affiliates attempted to dismantle the union. This comes 3 years and 10 months after the union filed the lawsuit against Samsung Electronics and others.

On the 16th, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 42 (Presiding Judge Jeong Hyun-seok) ruled partially in favor of the plaintiff in the damages lawsuit filed by the Metal Union against Samsung Electronics and 41 others. The court ordered Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electronics Service, and the Korea Employers Federation to jointly pay 100 million KRW in damages along with delayed interest, and Samsung C&T Corporation and others to jointly pay 30 million KRW in damages with delayed interest. The court dismissed the union's damages claims against some defendants, including Choi Ji-sung, former head (Vice Chairman) of Samsung Group's Future Strategy Office.

The so-called ‘Everland Union Dismantling’ case involves allegations that Kang Kyung-hoon, former Vice President of Samsung Electronics who oversaw labor affairs at Samsung Group's Future Strategy Office Human Resources Support Team, obstructed the establishment and activities of the Metal Union Samsung Branch Everland union from June 2011 to March 2018.

After Kang and others were found guilty in the first trial of the case in December 2019, the Metal Union filed a damages lawsuit in April 2020 against Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electronics Service, Samsung C&T Corporation, related affiliates, and the Korea Employers Federation. Initially, there were 100 defendants including the government of the Republic of Korea, but the number was reduced to 41 as some claims were withdrawn during the trial process.

Immediately after the ruling was announced, the Metal Union issued a statement saying, "In the lawsuit regarding Samsung's union destruction case, the court recognized the liability for damages of Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T Corporation, executives and employees of Samsung's Future Strategy Office, and the Korea Employers Federation," adding, "Following the criminal case, this civil ruling confirms the criminal facts of union destruction at the Samsung Group level."

However, the union expressed regret over the ruling, stating, "The court did not accept the full amount of damages claimed by the Metal Union and reduced the amount, lessening the severity of the crime," and "The court remains lenient toward the union destruction crimes and handed down light punishments to the perpetrators."