About 140 workers of Samsung Techwin Co., one of Samsung Group's four affiliates sold to Hanwha Group, have been arrested on charges of obstructing the firm's shareholders meeting, police said Monday.
The protest came as Samsung has decided to sell its defense affiliate, Samsung Techwin, and chemical unit, then Samsung General Chemicals Co., to Hanwha, a conglomerate whose main businesses include defense and solar power.
Two other affiliates, Samsung Thales Co. and then Samsung Total, were also automatically included in the deal because they are half-owned by the companies being sold to Hanwha.
"The problem was that the workers learned about the sales through news reports," a Samsung Techwin worker said. "We are protesting because we want to know why the company went through a merger without making any apologies to its workers."
While Samsung General Chemicals and Samsung Total Petrochemicals changed their names to Hanwha General Chemicals Co. and Hanwha Total Petrochemicals Co., respectively, in April, and became official members of South Korea's 10th-largest conglomerate, the procedures for the two other units have been delayed due to strong opposition from their workers.
The purpose of Samsung Techwin's shareholder meeting on Monday was to approve the new name, Hanwha Techwin Co.
Samsung's sales of its affiliates was widely seen as an effort to restructure its business portfolio as the country's largest conglomerate is moving to prepare for a leadership shift from Lee Kun-hee, the de facto head of the group who has been hospitalized since May last year, to Lee Jay-yong, vice president of Samsung Electronics Co. and the only son of the tycoon.
His vacancy gave urgency to reviewing the group's business strategy ahead of a managerial transfer, and focus on mainstay arms like Samsung Electronics Co., industry watchers said.
Samsung also has announced earlier it will merge Samsung C&T Co., a construction and trade arm, with the de facto holding firm Cheil Industries Inc. to speed up such efforts. (Yonhap)
