"Is Your Name on the List?" Samsung Electronics' Internal Messenger in Turmoil... Company Requests Police Probe over 'Blacklist' Distribution

Allegations have been raised within Samsung Electronics that employee personal information was misused without authorization to create and distribute a list of non-union members, commonly referred to as a "blacklist." In response, the company has requested a police investigation.

Seoul Samsung Electronics Seocho Office. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

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According to industry sources on April 13, Samsung Electronics announced via an internal notice on April 10 that "it has been confirmed that, in a group messenger chatroom of a specific department, a list containing the department names, full names, employee numbers, and union membership status of dozens of individuals was shared."

The company defined the extraction and sharing of employee personal information for purposes unrelated to work as a "clear criminal act" and, on April 9, filed a criminal complaint with the Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province against those involved for alleged violations of the Personal Information Protection Act.

This incident came to light recently as lists containing the department names, full names, employee numbers, and union membership status of dozens of individuals spread through internal group messenger platforms. It is presumed that some employees repeatedly used the "check for duplicate employee number" function on the union membership site to identify non-union members and compile the list.

The controversy is growing, especially as suspicions have been raised that the union itself was involved in creating the list. Choi Seungho, head of the Samsung Electronics branch of the Supercorporate Union, stated on a YouTube broadcast last month, "We will manage by list those who do not participate in the strike and work for the company," and added, "If there is a need for forced reassignment or dismissal requiring labor-management consultation in the future, these individuals will be considered as priority candidates."

Legal experts believe that this case could lead to complex legal liabilities, including not only violations of the Personal Information Protection Act, but also obstruction of business and breaches of workplace harassment prevention laws. One legal professional commented, "Whether to join a union or participate in industrial action must be decided freely by each individual," and explained, "Creating a list to identify specific individuals imposes psychological pressure and essentially signals real disadvantages to non-participants, amounting to coercion to join the strike."

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