Prosecutors Indict Three Hyundai Heavy Industries Executives for Obstructing Fair Trade Commission Investigation... Accused of Large-Scale Evidence Destruction

Replacement of 102 PCs and 273 Hard Disks in Bulk
Investigation Continues for Two Accused Including CEO Han Young-seok

Seocho-dong, Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seoul. / Photo by Seokjin Choi

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Hyundai Heavy Industries executives who destroyed a large amount of evidence, including computer hard disks, in preparation for investigations by the Fair Trade Commission and the Ministry of Labor have been brought to trial.

The Fair Trade Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Ko Jin-won) announced on the 31st that three people, including Executive Director A of Hyundai Heavy Industries, were indicted without detention on charges of instructing evidence destruction.

According to the prosecution, A and others are accused of massively destroying related evidence in July-August 2018 in preparation for the Fair Trade Commission's ex officio investigation into violations of the Subcontracting Act and the Ministry of Employment and Labor's investigation into violations of the Dispatch Act.

It was revealed that A and others replaced 102 PCs used by company executives and employees and 273 hard disks at that time.

The Fair Trade Commission uncovered that from 2014 to 2018, Hyundai Heavy Industries subcontracted about 48,000 ship and offshore plant manufacturing tasks to approximately 200 subcontractors, issuing contracts after work had started, forcing price reductions, or failing to inform subcontractors of payment amounts in advance, engaging in 'gapjil' (abuse of power), and imposed a fine of 20.8 billion KRW while filing a complaint with the prosecution.

At that time, the Fair Trade Commission stated that Hyundai Heavy Industries employees replaced PCs and hard disks containing important data just before the on-site investigation in October 2018, obstructing the investigation, but only imposed fines of 10 million KRW on the company and 25 million KRW on the involved employees.

However, civic groups such as the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Lawyers for a Democratic Society filed a complaint with the prosecution in June last year on charges of evidence destruction, prompting the investigation.

The prosecution announced that among four people including Hyundai Heavy Industries CEO Han Young-seok, who were reported by the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, two have been indicted this time, and the investigation of CEO Han and two others is ongoing.

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