Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

Sailors protest officers' detention in Korea
24 Dec 2008, 0011 hrs IST, Simit Bhagat, TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Sailors_protest_officers_detention_in_Korea/articleshow/3882413.cms

MUMBAI: Hundreds of sailors gathered at Azad Maidan on Tuesday and destroyed electronic products made by the Samsung group to mark their protest against the imprisonment of two Indian seafarers, Captain Jasprit Chawla and chief officer Chetan Syam, in South Korea. The protesters smashed television sets, mobile phones, monitor screens and other products.

"The officers are innocent and now we just want them to be back in India,'' said Gurpreet, the teary-eyed wife of Captain Chawla. She has come to Mumbai from Dehradun for the protest.

The National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), which had organised the protest along with the officers' families and other unions, asked the gathering and the shipping fraternity to boycott Korean products, especially those made by the Samsung group.

In December 2007, the Hebei Spirit, a ship on which Chawla and Syam were serving, leaked 10,800 tonnes of oil in South Korean waters. After an initial acquittal, an appeals court in South Korea gave the Dehradun-based Chawla a one-and-a-half-year jail term and Syam an eight-month term.

"Both the Indian officers are innocent. The oil spill took place when the crane barge of Samsung Heavy Industries rammed into the Hebei Spirit, which was in anchorage,'' said Abdulgani Y Serang, general secretary, NUSI. "A boycott on the products will surely make an impact on the South Korean economy. We, as a marine community, will start a nationwide movement to ensure that justice is done in this case.''

When contacted, officials from both Samsung mobiles as well as consumer electronics arms said their operations had nothing to do with the dealings of the heavy industries entity.

The protest also saw other unions, like the Maritime Union of India (MUI), the Transport and Dock Workers Union, the All India Railwaymen's Federation, Aviation Industries Employees Guild and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), joining in to condemn the judgment given by the South Korean court.

"We staged the protest to condemn the unlawful detention of the Indian officers and demand the early release of the officers,'' said S S Khan, general secretary, MUI.

"The Indian government has been pursuing the case with the South Korean ambassador and has expressed its displeasure over the issue. But now it needs to do more and if the diplomatic pressure is not working, they should even go to the extent of banning the import of South Korean products into India,'' Serang said.

The company that owns Hebei Spirit is also filing an appeal against the verdict. "We will soon file the appeal,'' said Captain Rajesh Tandon, managing director of V Ships India Private Limited, who was present at the protest.

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[Guri Guy]

Hopefully South Korea and Samsung will be so embarrassed by all the negative publicity that they are getting that they will be forced to reverse this ridiculous decision. Kangaroo court comes to mind...

[Jandar]

"banning the import of South Korean products into India"

they've got my vote on this one.

[agentX]

Yeah, this decision is coming back. It's just a matter of time. I betcha Samseug has already called the judge in the Supreme Court or next level court already.

The first decision wasn't all that bad, but the current decision seems to fly in the face of reason.

[ManintheMiddle]

Ah, yes, more South Korean goodwill to the world.

Very interesting thread, OP, although I can't say I'm surprised by the Korean reaction.

As a further and mostly unrelated anecdote:

My wife told me that one of her friends was near Beihai Park in the centre of Beijing the other day when a tour bus offloaded its Korean passengers. They immediately started asking for directions in....KOREAN...and were miffed that NO ONE spoke it.

Ethnocentrism reigns in the Hermit Kingdom.

I'm thinking of opening a portable kimchi stand and follow the Korean tour buses around the city during meal times. Could make a hefty profit and I'd finally have a chance to say, "For you, special price..."

[Konglishman]

This whole mess in Korea makes my blood boil. Samsung, the guilty party in question, is given a slap on the wrist. Meanwhile, the responsible and innocent party is forced to suffer for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Samsung, if this unjust verdict holds, then I hope that your business earnings in India take a steep nosedive.

[On the other hand]

[Ilsanman]

Samsung is on schedule to operate in the red next year.

Couldn't happen to a nicer company.