By Kim Yoo-chul
Banolim, a civic group representing the interests of former Samsung Electronics employees who died of leukemia after working at the company's chip facilities, suffered a setback in its efforts to promote its demands to the foreign media.
This came after Samsung Electronics decided to pay 100 billion won for the establishment of a compensation panel.
Banolim, led by Hwang Sang-ki whose young daughter died from acute leukemia in 2007, had planned to hold a press conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC), downtown Seoul, Friday.
However, it drew little attention from the foreign media.
Banolim said upon request by the SFCC, Hwang planned to give a briefing on the current situation for about 15 minutes and to answer questions from foreign reporters via translators.
SFCC said it didn't cancel the press meeting, but had delayed it indefinitely.
This is a major blow to the civic group because the group planned to use the conference as leverage to press Samsung Electronics for more compensation from the talks, officials said.
"The failed attempt by Banolim will undercut its position on the ongoing compensation talks with Samsung," said one official.
The cancellation came after an independent mediation committee led by a former Justice Kim Ji-hyung asked all interested parties to hold a closed-door meeting, a move aimed at narrowing differentiation over the amount of compensation Samsung Electronics should pay, on October 7.
Banolim said it welcomed Samsung's decision to spend 100 billion won as seed funding for compensation.
But the civic group asked Samsung to advance the process via a public foundation, a condition which Samsung Electronics can't accept.
"We are seeing heated debate about key issues. As a mediator, the committee needs to find breakthroughs," said the mediation committee in a statement, Thursday.
It said the upcoming meeting will cover review procedures.
Samsung Electronics earlier established its compensation committee comprising of seven members to resolve the issue.
Samsung said its committee will have four experts in labor law, industrial medicine and social policies, as well as three members representing the workers.
Banolim, a civic group representing the interests of former Samsung Electronics employees who died of leukemia after working at the company's chip facilities, suffered a setback in its efforts to promote its demands to the foreign media.
This came after Samsung Electronics decided to pay 100 billion won for the establishment of a compensation panel.
Banolim, led by Hwang Sang-ki whose young daughter died from acute leukemia in 2007, had planned to hold a press conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC), downtown Seoul, Friday.
However, it drew little attention from the foreign media.
Banolim said upon request by the SFCC, Hwang planned to give a briefing on the current situation for about 15 minutes and to answer questions from foreign reporters via translators.
SFCC said it didn't cancel the press meeting, but had delayed it indefinitely.
This is a major blow to the civic group because the group planned to use the conference as leverage to press Samsung Electronics for more compensation from the talks, officials said.
"The failed attempt by Banolim will undercut its position on the ongoing compensation talks with Samsung," said one official.
The cancellation came after an independent mediation committee led by a former Justice Kim Ji-hyung asked all interested parties to hold a closed-door meeting, a move aimed at narrowing differentiation over the amount of compensation Samsung Electronics should pay, on October 7.
Banolim said it welcomed Samsung's decision to spend 100 billion won as seed funding for compensation.
But the civic group asked Samsung to advance the process via a public foundation, a condition which Samsung Electronics can't accept.
"We are seeing heated debate about key issues. As a mediator, the committee needs to find breakthroughs," said the mediation committee in a statement, Thursday.
It said the upcoming meeting will cover review procedures.
Samsung Electronics earlier established its compensation committee comprising of seven members to resolve the issue.
Samsung said its committee will have four experts in labor law, industrial medicine and social policies, as well as three members representing the workers.
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