Profiles of Samsung Compliance Committee Members... 'Many Included Who Criticize Samsung'

An Opportunity for a Legal and Ethical Leap Forward Beyond Mere Showmanship

Former Supreme Court Justice Kim Ji-hyung, appointed as the Chairman of the Samsung Group Compliance Committee (representative lawyer of Jipyung Law Firm), is holding a press conference on the 9th at the Jipyung office in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] The Samsung Group Compliance Committee was launched on the 9th. Former Supreme Court Justice Kim Jihyung serves as the chairman, with legal professionals, civil society members, and academics participating as external committee members.

The characteristic of the Compliance Committee members, as revealed by former Justice Kim on the day, can be summarized as expertise and balance to exercise the functions of oversight and monitoring as an independent body. Among the members, many have previously voiced criticism of Samsung.

The committee's launch is evaluated not as a token gesture demanded by the courts but as a new role for Samsung to advance legally and ethically to the next level.

Kim, the inaugural chairman of the Samsung Compliance Committee, emphasized at the press conference, "Several criteria were applied in selecting members, and first, we aimed to assign an overwhelming majority of external members."

Kim explained, "This is to secure the committee's independence and autonomy. In fact, out of the seven total appointees including the chairman, six are external members, and only one is a company-appointed member."

He continued, "We considered expertise in various fields among the external members while also ensuring representativeness of our society. Including myself, two are legal experts, and among the other four, two are academic experts in corporate social responsibility or corporate governance."

He added, "The last two represent civil society and consumers. Except for appointee Lee Inyong, all five appointees are meeting me for the first time," Kim stated. He said, "I earnestly requested the best candidates multiple times. All appointees made a difficult decision to accept participation in the committee."

In fact, the members are figures active in various sectors of society who can view Samsung objectively. Alongside Chairman Kim, appointee Bong Wook, representing the legal sector, is a former prosecutor who served as Deputy Prosecutor General. He is recognized for extensive experience investigating corruption crimes in large corporations and has a strong interest and rich insight into corporate compliance management.

From civil society, Kwon Taeseon, co-representative of the Civil Society Organizations Solidarity Conference, and Ko Gyehyun, secretary-general of the Consumer Sovereignty Citizens' Conference, were selected. Appointee Kwon, a former reporter for The Hankyoreh newspaper, is acknowledged for his extensive experience as a journalist. After retiring from the media, he devoted himself to civil society activities.

He also led movements demanding strict punishment for conglomerates related to the national corruption scandal. Chairman Kim assesses that he will represent a critical perspective and rational viewpoint leading meaningful changes across society.

Appointee Ko Gyehyun served as the longest-tenured secretary-general of the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice. He has consistently expressed critical opinions on conglomerates' governance, management succession, and labor relations issues, persistently advocating reforms.

In academia, Professor Shim Insook of Chung-Ang University Law School and Professor Kim Woojin of Seoul National University College of Business Administration and Graduate School of Business accepted committee positions. Appointee Shim, a lawyer, has handled corporate legal affairs and served as a constitutional research officer at the Constitutional Court. She has also been a member of various committees established by the Financial Supervisory Service and the Fair Trade Commission, notably serving as a non-standing member of the Financial Services Commission. She is recognized for her expertise in finance, securities, capital markets, and fair trade.

Appointee Kim briefly worked as an administrative officer at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and has since been active as a scholar specializing in finance and financial fields. He is known as an expert who presents progressive theories and arguments on corporate governance issues and policies. In particular, he has continuously pointed out problems with conglomerates' excessive pursuit of 'private benefits.'

Inside Samsung, Lee Inyong, Senior Advisor for Social Contribution at Samsung Electronics, participates. Appointee Lee worked for a long time as a journalist, rising to deputy director of the news bureau at MBC, and after moving to Samsung, served as head of the group-level communications team (president). Former Justice Kim added, "The company-appointed appointee Lee was also directly designated without exception."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.