By Bahk Eun-ji
Samsung Electronics said Sunday that it has requested the prosecution to investigate LG Electronics executives for allegedly damaging some of its washing machines that were displayed at a shopping mall in Berlin, Germany.
Samsung filed a complaint with the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office against Jo Seong-jin, president of the Home Appliance (HA) division of LG Electronics, and several other officials.
It accused them of intentionally vandalizing five washing machines in Berlin earlier this month ahead of the 2014 IFA electronics show.
Samsung said shop assistants at Europasenter in Berlin contacted the police after a man allegedly broke the doors on two of the company’s high-end washing machines on Sept. 3.
Police later questioned the man and identified him as an executive of LG Electronics.
Samsung claimed that the man broke the doors on the washing machines intentionally, but the executive denied this. The police then closed the case after LG agreed to pay for the damage.
However, Samsung issued a statement Sunday, claiming that LG’s HA division chief Jo and other officials broke the doors of Samsung’s washing machines on purpose.
Samsung said Jo pushed the door hinges on the washing machines strongly several times on purpose, citing CCTV footage in the Steglitz shop.
Samsung said it decided to request an investigation, as it also has evidence of three of its products being damaged by other LG officials in another Steglitz electronics store in Beriln.
Samsung said it waited until all related officials returned to Korea before filing a complaint instead of pursuing the case overseas, taking into account the controversy the incident could cause.
In response, LG announced a statement right after the incident during the IFA show, and said that the executive was only “checking” Samsung’s washing machines.
“It’s common for researchers and executives to visit and check products of rival companies. There is no reason for us to have sent researchers to break the machines,” LG said in the statement.
The company said they would have used other ways that people would not have noticed if there had been any foul intentions.
Samsung also insists that LG’s explanation is an attempt to disparage their products.
LG said the executives had no intention of damaging the washing machines and they checked machines made by other companies as well as those manufactured by Samsung.
“The executive was just checking Samsung’s washing machines and the doors were shaking so the shop clerks accused him of attempting to break the products,” an LG spokesman said in the statement. “Unlike other company’s products, the door hinges of washing machines from the particular company (Samsung) were not especially sturdy.”
The spokesman said it is willing to cooperate with a prosecutors’ investigation and hopes the incident will not degrade the company’s brand image as a top global producer of washing machines.