Kim Yong-hee (Korean: 김용희) is a South Korean labor rights activist and protester. He was employed at Samsung Aerospace from 1982 to 1995, when he was dismissed for attempting to organize a labor union. Kim had also claimed that Samsung had filed defamation lawsuits against him, alongside claims of sexual assault and accusations of spying.[1]
Kim began a series of sit-ins and hunger strikes after his firing in 1995, largely focused on Samsung. Since June 2019, he has been living atop a 25-metre (82 ft) traffic camera tower overlooking an intersection in Seoul while protesting Samsung activities.[1][2] His platform on the tower includes a sleeping bag, placards, a megaphone, and necessary supplies that are replenished by rope.[1] Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong announced in May 2020 that the company would end its policy of suppressing the creation of labor unions.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Choe Sang-hun (April 19, 2020). "'My Last Stand': In South Korea, a Protester's Lone Fight Against Samsung". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ "The South Korean Samsung protester living in the sky". BBC News. May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ Kim Tong-hyung (May 6, 2020). "Samsung's Lee apologizes over management, union busting". Associated Press. Retrieved May 26, 2020.