Samsung suppressed labor unions for decades — until the chairman's son was indicted

Samsung, South Korea's largest conglomerate, had a long history of suppressing labor union activity. For decades, the company used surveillance, intimidation, dismissal and legal tactics to prevent workers from organizing. Samsung's 'no union' policy was an open secret in South Korean business.

In 2020, South Korean prosecutors indicted Samsung vice chairman Lee Jae-yong and other executives on charges of union-busting, including orchestrating the dismissal of union organizers and creating a company-controlled 'paper union' to undermine independent organizing.

Lee publicly apologized for the union suppression and pledged to respect workers' rights. The case was part of a broader reckoning with South Korea's chaebol (conglomerate) culture, where family-controlled conglomerates had operated with minimal accountability. The case illustrated how a corporate culture of union suppression can persist for decades when the legal and political environment tolerates it, and how the reckoning comes when the political climate shifts.