By Jung Min-ho
Jo Seong-jin, president of LG Electronics' home appliance division, and two other LG executives have been indicted for damaging Samsung's premium washing machines, said prosecutors at Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office, Sunday.
While LG claims that the executives were testing Samsung's products, prosecutors concluded they damaged the machines deliberately.
The prosecution indicted Jo and Cho Han-ki, an LG senior executive, on charges of vandalizing three washing machines of the rival Samsung Electronics at retail stores in Germany ahead of the IFA electronics show in September.
Another LG senior executive for public relations, surnamed Jun, has been charged with spreading false information that the machines were damaged because of their own defects, said the prosecution.
This move came after prosecutors raided the headquarters of LG Electronics and its home appliance factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in December.
After examining the company's internal documents, hard disks and emails of those involved, prosecutors concluded that Jo and Cho deliberately damaged the washing machines.
Referring to surveillance camera footage, prosecutors said that Jo and Cho pressed down on the doors of Samsung washing machines; they believe one machine at the SATURN Berlin Europa-Center and two at SATURN Berlin Steglitz were broken as a result.
Prosecutors also said LG's press releases and statements after the incident contained false information about Samsung's products, accusing Jo and Jun of defamation and interference with business.
LG claimed in a statement on Sept. 4 that it found defects in this particular model of Samsung in its own investigation.
In another press release on Sept. 14, LG insisted that the hinge of the model is especially vulnerable to impacts.
LG also filed a complaint against three Samsung employees with the prosecution for fabricating evidence and defamation. But prosecutors later concluded that the allegations were baseless.
About 20 LG officials have been summoned for questioning, the prosecution said.
Early this month, prosecutors tried to arbitrate between the two companies, saying further dispute over the issue would be harmful for both of them and the national interest.
Yet Samsung reportedly refused to accept LG's "perfunctory" apology.
So the battle between the two tech giants, which compete in products ranging from smartphones to refrigerators and personal computers, will likely end in court.
With the indictment, LG immediately refuted the result of the investigation.
"The truth will be revealed in court," Ham Yoon-keun, LG's attorney, said. "We wonder if prosecutors have hard evidence to prove that the head of a global company really damaged its rival company's appliances right in front of Samsung employees."
Ham emphasized that German prosecutors didn't indict LG officials over the same suspicion.
This is not the first public spat between the two. They fought in 2012 over who had the bigger capacity refrigerator, the bigger market share for air conditioners and patent rights for display products.
Jo Seong-jin, president of LG Electronics' home appliance division, and two other LG executives have been indicted for damaging Samsung's premium washing machines, said prosecutors at Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office, Sunday.
While LG claims that the executives were testing Samsung's products, prosecutors concluded they damaged the machines deliberately.
The prosecution indicted Jo and Cho Han-ki, an LG senior executive, on charges of vandalizing three washing machines of the rival Samsung Electronics at retail stores in Germany ahead of the IFA electronics show in September.
Another LG senior executive for public relations, surnamed Jun, has been charged with spreading false information that the machines were damaged because of their own defects, said the prosecution.
This move came after prosecutors raided the headquarters of LG Electronics and its home appliance factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in December.
After examining the company's internal documents, hard disks and emails of those involved, prosecutors concluded that Jo and Cho deliberately damaged the washing machines.
Referring to surveillance camera footage, prosecutors said that Jo and Cho pressed down on the doors of Samsung washing machines; they believe one machine at the SATURN Berlin Europa-Center and two at SATURN Berlin Steglitz were broken as a result.
Prosecutors also said LG's press releases and statements after the incident contained false information about Samsung's products, accusing Jo and Jun of defamation and interference with business.
LG claimed in a statement on Sept. 4 that it found defects in this particular model of Samsung in its own investigation.
In another press release on Sept. 14, LG insisted that the hinge of the model is especially vulnerable to impacts.
LG also filed a complaint against three Samsung employees with the prosecution for fabricating evidence and defamation. But prosecutors later concluded that the allegations were baseless.
About 20 LG officials have been summoned for questioning, the prosecution said.
Early this month, prosecutors tried to arbitrate between the two companies, saying further dispute over the issue would be harmful for both of them and the national interest.
Yet Samsung reportedly refused to accept LG's "perfunctory" apology.
So the battle between the two tech giants, which compete in products ranging from smartphones to refrigerators and personal computers, will likely end in court.
With the indictment, LG immediately refuted the result of the investigation.
"The truth will be revealed in court," Ham Yoon-keun, LG's attorney, said. "We wonder if prosecutors have hard evidence to prove that the head of a global company really damaged its rival company's appliances right in front of Samsung employees."
Ham emphasized that German prosecutors didn't indict LG officials over the same suspicion.
This is not the first public spat between the two. They fought in 2012 over who had the bigger capacity refrigerator, the bigger market share for air conditioners and patent rights for display products.
