By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A lawmaker urged the Samsung Group Thursday to take full responsibility for the devastating oil spill that damaged the residents of Taean, a fishing village in South Chungcheong Province.
Rep. Byun Ung-jun of the minor opposition Liberty Forward Party (LFP) also urged the government to pay workers who cleaned up oil that contaminated the waters, and to be more active in helping the residents.
The lawmaker, accompanied by officials of the local Taean council and residents, said they would launch a hunger strike in front of the residence of former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee and the group's headquarters in Seoul, unless their demands are met.
They sent an open letter containing their demands to Samsung.
Byun, whose constituency incorporates Taean, claimed that Samsung should also make a ``sincere'' public apology for the disastrous incident, which drove fishermen in the town out of business.
``Lee pledged in a news conference in April that he and his company would give back a certain part of his wealth to society. I think that it would be good for him to give back a substantial part of this to those who are under deep distress because of the Samaung-made disaster,'' said Byun.
The legislator was referring to commitments made by Lee in April shortly after prosecutors wrapped up an investigation into him and his family's alleged involvement in the creation of slush funds to lobby politicians.
Kim Yong-chul, a lawyer who had worked for Samsung for several years, made the allegation.
The prosecution concluded that Lee and his family did not create slush funds, but had committed tax evasion and hid Lee's wealth under his acquaintances' names. Lee stepped down from his chairman post.
Lee told reporters that he would give back the wealth he hid to society so that it could be used for good purposes.