A lazy post to bring together some of the Hanwha coverage. Interestingly, not many of the bloggers seem to have shown much interest in the story, as far as I can see.
(South Korean police officers carry the seizures after searching at home of Hanwha Group Chairman and CEO Kim Seung-youn in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, May 1, 2007. Police on Tuesday searched the home of the South Korean business tycoon accused of taking part in a sensational revenge attack on bar workers after his son was hurt in a fight in a karaoke pub. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Choi Jae-gu))
One of those Kahoidong fake-hanok-style houses.
Some of the links:
- Rough and tumble, Korean style: Donald Kirk, Asia Times, 5 May 2007:
Even as investigators searched his estate for clues of the latest incident, the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) reported that he had flailed away at a worker in a bar two years ago with a broken bottle, inflicting severe enough wounds to keep the man in a hospital for the next two months. The victim reportedly was reluctant to talk for fear of of his life.
- S Korean tycoon quizzed on attack: BBC, 30 April 2007
- Police Probe Mob Involvement in Hanhwa Boss Scandal: Chosun, 8 May 2007
- Hanwha group website
- Korea’s Rich List: Kim Seung-youn is #16 with $800 million
The apologists:
- Justice Minister Shows Leniency in Hanwha CEO: Korea Times, 16 May 2007: “An expression of fatherly love”, suggests Minster of Justice Kim Sung-ho. [update 5 January 2008: Article now removed from Korea Times site]
- Hanwha’s latest business: chairman’s legal problems: Hankyoreh, 3 May 2007: “The Human Side of Chairman Kim Seung-youn” is the title of a Hanwha press release.
The Conviction
- S Korean tycoon gets 18-month sentence, FT, 2 July 2007
The sudden mystery illness, which always afflicts Western tycoons when thrown in jail, also occurs in Korea:
- Hanwha’s Kim given hospital break time, JoongAng Daily, 13 July 2007
And the release
- SKorean tycoon’s prison term suspended, Associated Press, 11 Sept 2007
- Hanwha Chairman Gets Out of Jail Free, Chosun 12 Sept 2007 (the pyjamas were a masterstroke)
The community service
- Hanwha Chairman to serve at charity home, Chosun, 18 December 2007
I’ll throw in more links as I come across them.