By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee worked at the company's headquarters in southern Seoul, Tuesday, despite a threat to blow the building up.
``The Samsung chairman is safe, though Samsung received an emailed bomb threat against our key buildings,’’ a Samsung representative said.
He added that Lee was briefed on the threat.
``The chairman came in at around 8:00 a.m. and later had lunch with the heads of Samsung’s financial unit,’’ he said.
Earlier in the day, some 50 police were sent to check garages and offices of Samsung Electronics, Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung C&T for three and a half hours from 7:35 a.m.
``We found nothing suspicious,’’ said a police spokesman.
Samsung deployed more security officers around its main buildings, according to Samsung officials.
``I am relieved that nothing happened,’’ a Samsung employee said, adding that he was shocked at the news.
Samsung’s affiliate in Canada received an email around 4:30 a.m. (local time) Monday with the sender identified as ``dilara jahednai.’’
The email included a threat to blow up Samsung’s headquarters between May 2 and May 6. The Seoul embassies of Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Syria were also targets, according to the email.
In 2008, Samsung’s main affiliates were moved south of the Han River.
The so-called ``Samsung Town’’ is composed of three buildings from A to C and some 10,000 workers were in the buildings, Samsung officials said.
Samsung Electronics is the world’s top TV maker and leads the global markets for computer memory chips and flat-screens.
It only trails industry leader Nokia in the overall handset industry, though it is competing with Apple of the United States for bigger chunks of the global smartphone market.