Samsung Biologics Union Chief Referred to Prosecutors

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency has referred two individuals, including Park Jae-sung, the chair of the Samsung Biologics labor union, to prosecutors. They are accused of leaking the company's trade secrets to outside parties under the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act. The alleged offense includes unauthorized access to an internal system, securing sensitive tax invoices managed by the public relations department, and distributing them through a union struggle newsletter.

Notably, Park's name appears in the author field of the leaked file, serving as crucial evidence. Police conducted a search and seizure of Samsung Biologics' headquarters in May, securing internal servers and entry-and-exit records. Despite Park's denial of the trade secret leakage allegation, the investigation concluded that the accusations were substantiated.

The union and management at Samsung Biologics are currently locked in a severe conflict over wages and collective bargaining talks. The union went on strike in the first half of the year following mediation breakdown in March, escalating the dispute with another partial strike from November 6. As the investigation progresses, further fallout in labor-management relations is expected.

Samsung Biologics is focusing on protecting trade secrets, while the union may argue its actions were legitimate. The prosecution authorities are now reviewing whether to indict based on the materials provided by the police.