Lee Jae-yong vows to "self-reflect" and "create a new Samsung" in second statement from prison

Samsung Electronics vice chairman's message circulated among conglomerate employees on Jan. 26

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong heads to the Seoul High Court for trial on Jan. 18. (Kim Hye-yun, staff photographer)

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong issued his second statement from prison after being taken into custody on Jan. 18.

The message was shared with Samsung Group employees on Jan. 26 by Samsung Electronics co-CEOs Kim Ki-nam, Kim Hyun-suk, and Koh Dong-jin. In it, Lee said he was “extremely sorry to have caused concern once again because of our shortcomings.”

“Samsung must continue going the way it must go regardless of the situation I face,” he also said. The message posted on the Samsung Group intranet Samsung Knox.

The message comes shortly after the one Lee issued on Jan. 21 through his attorney. In his first statement, Lee pledged to continue supporting the activities of Samsung’s legal compliance oversight committee. Expressing his gratitude to Samsung’s employees, Lee said, “Samsung has faced many difficult situations internally and externally over the past few years, but all of you have kept it strong as you have quietly gone about your work.” He went on to stress the importance of the conglomerate “reemerging as a Samsung that fulfills its social responsibility.”

“I plan to humbly self-reflect even more,” he added.

“I intend to make sure that this present time is not in vain. I will work with all of you to make a new Samsung,” he said.

Meanwhile, the legal compliance oversight committee convened the same day at Samsung’s Seoul headquarters with the CEOs of Samsung Electronics and six other companies that have established legal compliance work agreements. During the meeting, Kim Ki-nam announced plans to “lead the way in legally compliant management with a greater sense of responsibility.”

“Through legally compliant management, we will work to ensure that Samsung is not merely a first-class company, but also a respected company,” he said.

In addition to Kim, Samsung Electronics CFO Choi Yoon-ho; Samsung SDI CEO Jun Young-hyun; Samsung Electro-Mechanics CEO Kyung Kye-hyun; Samsung SDS CEO Hwang Sung-woo; Samsung C&T CEO Koh Jung-suk; Samsung Life CEO Jeon Young-muk; and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance CEO Choi Yong-moo were all present at the meeting. It was the first roundtable discussion with CEOs of Samsung affiliates and subsidiaries since the legal compliance oversight committee was launched in February 2020.

Remarking on discussions over Lee Jae-yong’s future, a committee official said, “We didn’t discuss that in today’s meeting, but we did talk about how we should do a bit better with regard to current events.”

By Song Chae Kyung-hwa and Cho Kye-wan, staff reporters

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