LG Electronics appliances chief indicted over damaged Samsung washers

SEOUL: LG Electronics Inc’s (LG Electronics) home appliances chief was indicted on a charge of deliberately damaging Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (Samsung Electronics) washing machines, escalating the feud between South Korea’s top consumer electronics companies.

A LG Electronics spokeswoman confirmed on Sunday that home appliances chief Jo Seong-jin and two other employees were indicted by local prosecutors. Samsung Electronics declined to comment, and prosecutors could not be reached for comment.

The court case marks the latest dispute between the cross-town rivals, who compete on several fronts like televisions and home appliances. They have quarrelled publicly over issues such as whose refrigerator could hold more, and who had a bigger share of the domestic air conditioning market.

The indictment against LG’s appliances chief follows months of investigation. Samsung filed an official complaint in September, accusing Jo and other LG employees of deliberately damaging Samsung washers at retail stores in Germany.

LG had agreed to pay for what it called accidental damage to four machines following mediation by German authorities, but couldn’t resist taking a pot shot at the quality of its rival’s products. Samsung railed against those “slanderous claims” and filed its complaint.

“It is questionable whether there is sufficient evidence to prove that the president of a global company deliberately destroyed the machines where employees of the competing company were present,” said Ham Yoon-keun, a lawyer who will be defending Jo in court, in a statement provided by LG.

“The truth will be revealed in the courts.” — Reuters