Samsung Electronics union leaders under probe over 'union blacklist'

Samsung Electronics union leaders, Choi Seung-ho and an unnamed senior official, are currently under investigation by prosecutors for alleged violations of the personal information protection law. According to Yonhap News Agency, the leaders are accused of stealing personal data from approximately 100,000 Samsung Electronics employees to create a blacklist.

The investigation was triggered after police referred Choi and the senior union official to prosecutors without detention. Prosecutors allege that the two individuals compiled the blacklist using illegally obtained personal information, including each employee's union membership status. The timeline of the alleged misconduct is believed to be around March, during which the union was organizing a general strike to protest performance-based bonuses.

The unnamed senior union official, who previously managed the company's internal systems, is suspected of unlawfully acquiring a file containing the names of over 100,000 employees. This individual then allegedly transferred the file to the labor union.