Samsung's help in COVID-19 battle helps heir's image ahead of trial

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Samsung's help in COVID-19 battle helps heir's image ahead of trial

By Sohee Kim

While technology billionaires have been among the most visible champions of the fight against COVID-19, perhaps none has as much at stake as Jay Y. Lee., Samsung's anointed heir.

South Korea's largest corporation and its de facto leader have been key players in one of Asia's most successful coronavirus containment campaigns. Since March, Samsung has dispatched its own doctors to hard-hit zones, flown Korean engineers overseas via its private jet, doled out roughly $US39 million ($56 million) worth of aid globally and played a central role in ramping up production of testing kits -- hailed by healthcare experts as a turning point in Korea's battle against the disease.

Samsung -- the world's largest maker of memory chips, mobile devices and electronic displays -- and its fellow conglomerates helped flatten the virus curve. But for Lee, success comes at a time of particular scrutiny. The well-publicised effort burnished his image months before the denouement of a years-long scandal and trial into alleged influence-peddling and Lee's succession plans.

Samsung co-vice chairman Jay Y. Lee has a lot to lose.

Samsung co-vice chairman Jay Y. Lee has a lot to lose.Credit: Bloomberg

In the legal clash, which inflamed resentment against Korea's most influential conglomerates, Lee stands accused of using thoroughbred horses and other gifts to buy government support for plans to cement his family's control over the Samsung empire -- something both Samsung and he have denied.

Lee could face a prison sentence of several years in the current trial. Regardless of COVID-19, the outcome could prove a watershed moment in the sensitive relationship between the country's corporate chieftains and government.

The hearings, which will likely wrap late this year, are regarded by many observers as a litmus test for whether Korea's courts are truly independent of the powerful business interests that hold sway over the economy.

The 51-year-old Samsung heir convened a rare press conference in May to apologise for his company's missteps over succession. Swearing his children would never run the company, he pledged to give back to society and praised his fellow citizens' dedication throughout the outbreak. "It gave me a chance to look back on our past and as a member of the business community, I feel a greater sense of responsibility," Lee said. "I pledge to create a new Samsung that is level with the national dignity of South Korea."

I pledge to create a new Samsung that is level with the national dignity of South Korea.

Jay Y. Lee

The surprise announcement drew public support from both ruling and opposition parties as well as the chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission. But critics and academics pounced on Lee's comments as bereft of substance. That's because it came just before a deadline set by an internal Samsung oversight body for just such an apology. The independent compliance committee, established this year after a judge in the graft trial questioned Samsung's measures to prevent legal violations such as bribery, assessed Lee's apology as a "meaningful" step but wanted more details.

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"Samsung has never done as much in the past" to assuage critics of the conglomerates, said Kyungmook Lee, a business professor at Seoul National University. "As the largest chaebol in South Korea, the way they contributed to the nation during the COVID-19 crisis and apologised over past wrongdoings is helping soften public sentiment and improve the image of both the company and its heir."

That's important because suspicion of the judiciary in Korea runs deep. Over the past decade, at least half a dozen high-profile industrial magnates have been sentenced to prison for corruption, only to have those jail terms mitigated or suspended by the courts -- including Lee's father.

Chaebol paranoia

Even President Moon Jae-in, who swept into power on promises to clean up endemic corporate malfeasance, grappled with public outrage after a judge in Lee's first trial unexpectedly freed him after just a year in prison. In suspending Lee's sentence, the judge concluded the billionaire couldn't resist requests from a sitting president and that the greater responsibility lay with public officials. Park Geun-hye, who was impeached in 2017, has denied taking any money for herself.

Paranoia about chaebols' influence continues to dog the second phase of Lee's hearings, which commenced late last year after the Supreme Court overturned the lower court's decision to suspend the mogul's sentence and ordered a retrial. Lee's hearing has been delayed for months as prosecutors argue that one of the appeals court judges overseeing the current case is biased and inclined to go lightly on Lee.

The justice in question has shown a flair for the dramatic by, among other things, lecturing the executive at length in October on how he can better run Samsung, advising him to take inspiration from Israeli businesses. The appeals court judge has so far kept out of the fray.

"In South Korea, the public opinion often influences trials and sways verdicts," said Heo Pil-seok, chief executive officer at Midas International Asset Management. "While Samsung's facing several critical situations, it's trying to make a plea for clemency to the public," he said, referring to not just its COVID-19 efforts but also Lee's apology.

Samsung and Lee's approach to the sudden flare-up of the novel coronavirus was in many ways no different than his peers'. Noted philanthropists Bill Gates and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma donated millions or offered technical assistance. Others like Amazon's Jeff Bezos, faced with public criticism that their companies are placing workers in jeopardy, focused their efforts on protecting the workforce. And tech corporations joined manufacturers around the globe in trying to plug a shortfall in ventilators and masks.

South Korea's largest corporation and its de facto leader have been key players in one of Asia's most successful coronavirus containment campaigns.

South Korea's largest corporation and its de facto leader have been key players in one of Asia's most successful coronavirus containment campaigns.Credit: AP

Samsung representatives emphasised that the company's main goal was to combat the disease, save lives and protect employees, and dismissed any suggestion they were connected to the hearing. In addition to dispatching personnel, the company also converted a training facility near Daegu into a treatment centre, helped expedite business entries into China, even handed out free smartphones to quarantined patients.

'Joining the global fight'

"Samsung Electronics is joining the global fight against COVID-19 to safeguard the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners and local communities," it said in a statement. "The smart factory program and other global relief initiatives by Samsung Electronics have nothing to do with the ongoing legal proceedings over the case of Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee. Our efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus have always been to help our employees and their families that have been impacted by this pandemic as we are all in this together."

Samsung plays an unusually crucial role in Korea's economy and national ethos. Its transformation from economic minnow to technology export powerhouse owes much to its family-run conglomerates. Known as chaebol -- which means "wealth clique" -- these pillars of the nation's "miracle economy" encompass household names like LG, Hyundai and SK. They've supported government initiatives for decades, spearheading a modernisation effort that's created world leaders in shipping, steel, and now technology and electronics.

Largest of them all is Samsung. The 82-year-old conglomerate is both a symbol of the Asian country's technological and diplomatic rise as well as a touchstone for what many think is wrong with the economy today -- the overwhelming dominance of a handful of dynasties who call the shots in everything from cars to phones.

The [...] relief initiatives by Samsung Electronics have nothing to do with the ongoing legal proceedings over the case of Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee.

Company statement

"Samsung's striving to overhaul its image to win a positive trial ruling," said Chae Yibai, a former opposition lawmaker and a long-time corporate governance activist, referring to the months-long virus campaign. "The entire process is like a play, with a judge taking on the role of director and the compliance committee acting as a sub-director. The leading man is Lee."

In the current drama, Lee's star is on the rise. His approval ratings in independent surveys have climbed since the conglomerate, heeding the government's call, swung into action in March. The top keywords in domestic internet searches covering Lee from January to April were "virus" or "management," according to surveyor Global Bigdata Research, pushing out trial-related terms among the top 30.

He's even won over some of the smaller businesses that've traditionally played second fiddle to the chaebols. Local mask manufacturer E&W said its output increased by about half after it adopted Samsung's solutions in its facility setup and distribution.

Samsung also dispatched about 10 experts to each of four test-kit makers to instruct their engineers on how to ramp up volumes while resolving bottlenecks through automation. "Keeping a sound ecosystem of SMEs is essential to Samsung as well as for the long-term benefits of all economic players," said Junha Park, head of Samsung's smart factory operation team.

'Credibility is very important'

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Lee's approval rating in surveys conducted by the Global Bigdata have risen in 2020 since the outbreak. They fell to 9.77 per cent in the two days after his public apology, down from an average of 16.37 per cent over the 30 days prior. But negative views also plummeted to 20.6 per cent from 44.2 per cent, while those on the fence shot up to 72.8 per cent from 39.4 per cent. That latter point is key.

"Credibility is very important," said Daniel Yoo, head of global investment at Yuanta Securities Korea. "Clearly the corporate image, about Samsung and South Korea, has been improving."

The most immediate challenge for Samsung is empowering and keeping its de facto leader free during an era of heightened uncertainty. Regardless of the personal outcome of that trial, the longer-term perceptions of chaebols may hinge on Lee's promise to corporatise Samsung.

Some view his vision as the first step in finally reining in the chaebols, by breaking decades-old succession lines. Others suspect Samsung will find some other way to safeguard the Lee family's control. That's because it's not up to Lee, but to the company's shareholders and board, said Shin Se-don, an emeritus professor of economics at Sookmyung Women's University.

"The apology was unlike Samsung," said Shin, who worked at Samsung's research institute in the late 1980s. "After Lee's announcement, ruling and opposition parties both suggested Lee could be legally excused. That's different from what most people think."

Bloomberg

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