By Kim Se-jeong
A district court in Seoul has acquitted Jo Seong-jin, president of LG Electronics' home appliance division, of vandalizing Samsung's premium washing machines at retail stores in Berlin last year ahead of an international electronics exhibition.
According to the Seoul Central District Court, evidence was insufficient to prove that Jo had intentionally damaged three Samsung washers on display at two stores.
"The prosecution failed to prove that Jo damaged the washers and he had the intent to do it," the court said.
Jo was indicted in February, about four months after the incident took place in the German capital. The legal fight began after Samsung filed a suit against Jo, saying he and other LG officials pressed down hard on three of its washing machines during their visits to the Samsung booths of the stores.
The court recognized that the washers' doors had problems closing after Jo pressed them. But watching Jo's posture recorded by surveillance cameras at the scene, the court said Jo was unable to press them hard enough to break the doors. It said the testimony from Samsung staffers there had little credibility.
"It is difficult to recognize that Jo's act broke the hinges," the court said.
It also said Jo was not guilty of interfering with Samsung's business.
Further, the court acquitted two other LG senior officials who were indicted in connection with the scandal.
A senior executive, surnamed Cho, was charged with vandalizing the products along with Jo, and another senior official in charge of public relations, surnamed Jeon, was charged with dispersing negative information about Samsung's washers in a press release.
The court said what was written in the press release was opinion, not false information.
Prosecutors initially requested a 10-month prison sentence for Jo, and fines of 3 million won and 5 million won for Cho and Jeon, respectively.
For the 10-month trial, the court had the washers shipped from Germany to Korea for examination, and summoned the Samsung staffers from Germany.
A district court in Seoul has acquitted Jo Seong-jin, president of LG Electronics' home appliance division, of vandalizing Samsung's premium washing machines at retail stores in Berlin last year ahead of an international electronics exhibition.
According to the Seoul Central District Court, evidence was insufficient to prove that Jo had intentionally damaged three Samsung washers on display at two stores.
"The prosecution failed to prove that Jo damaged the washers and he had the intent to do it," the court said.
Jo was indicted in February, about four months after the incident took place in the German capital. The legal fight began after Samsung filed a suit against Jo, saying he and other LG officials pressed down hard on three of its washing machines during their visits to the Samsung booths of the stores.
The court recognized that the washers' doors had problems closing after Jo pressed them. But watching Jo's posture recorded by surveillance cameras at the scene, the court said Jo was unable to press them hard enough to break the doors. It said the testimony from Samsung staffers there had little credibility.
"It is difficult to recognize that Jo's act broke the hinges," the court said.
It also said Jo was not guilty of interfering with Samsung's business.
Further, the court acquitted two other LG senior officials who were indicted in connection with the scandal.
A senior executive, surnamed Cho, was charged with vandalizing the products along with Jo, and another senior official in charge of public relations, surnamed Jeon, was charged with dispersing negative information about Samsung's washers in a press release.
The court said what was written in the press release was opinion, not false information.
Prosecutors initially requested a 10-month prison sentence for Jo, and fines of 3 million won and 5 million won for Cho and Jeon, respectively.
For the 10-month trial, the court had the washers shipped from Germany to Korea for examination, and summoned the Samsung staffers from Germany.
