Sean Hayes in New York Times on Samsung Slush Fund/Corruption Case

IPG Legal’s Sean Hayes was quoted by the New York Times on a book written by Former Samsung head attorney and Prosecutor Yong-Chul Kim on the Samsung Slush Fund Scandal.  We reposted this quote, since recent issues in Korea have brought similar issues back in the spotlight.  For an article on Korean Corruption please see: Corruption in Korea: What is the Crux of the Problem? by Tom Coyner (Senior Advisor to IPG Legal). For an explanation of changes to Korea’s Whistleblower Law for 2024, please see: Korean Whistleblower Law Amended. 

Sean C. Hayes, an American lawyer and newspaper columnist in Seoul who has worked for the Constitutional Court and taught at a law school here, said he hopes more “brave souls” like Mr. Kim would speak out about corruption “for the benefit of a promising nation that is being choked by corrupt incompetents.”

“The change will have to come from the masses,” he added, “since elite power centers have a firm grasp on most government entities through implicit guarantees that evils will only be dealt with by a little slap on the wrist.”

Some quotes from the article:

•  In his book, Mr. Kim depicts Mr. Lee and “vassal” executives at Samsung as bribing thieves who “lord over” the country, its government and media. He portrays prosecutors as opportunists who are ruthless to those they regard as “dead” powers, like former presidents, but subservient to and afraid of Samsung, which he calls the “power that never dies.”
• “I wanted to leave a record of Samsung’s corruption because prosecutors’ investigation turned it into historical gossip,” Mr. Kim said. “I wrote this book because I was afraid that children would grow up believing that in South Korea, justice does not win, but those who win become justices.”
• Mr. Lee (Samsung President) was convicted of having evaded 46.5 billion won in taxes on profits generated from hidden money and of having helped his son buy shares of a Samsung subsidiary at an artificially low price.  He was sentenced to three years in prison, but a judge suspended the sentence, saying the crime “was not serious enough to merit an actual prison term.”
• After his conviction, Mr. Lee (Samsung President) said he was “sorry for causing trouble to the people.”  In February, he received a presidential pardon, and a month later he returned to Samsung as chairman, without a board meeting to approve the appointment.

The full text of the article may be found HERE: BOOK ON SAMSUNG DIVIDES KOREA

Sean Hayes is the first non-Korean attorney to have worked for the Korean court system (Constitutional Court of Korea) and one of the first non-Koreans to be a regular member of a Korean law faculty. Sean is ranked, for Korea, as one of only two non-Korean lawyers as a Top Attorney by AsiaLaw, and IPG Legal is consistently ranked Top Dispute Resolution Law Firm for our litigation services.

To schedule a call with Sean Hayes, please Schedule a Call Here.