Prosecutors
raid LG headquarters over washing machine row with
Samsung
Send a link to a friend
[December 26, 2014]
By Hyunjoo Jin
SEOUL (Reuters) - Prosecutors raided the
headquarters of LG Electronics on Friday as part of a probe into whether
the South Korean company had damaged the washing machines of rival
Samsung Electronics at retail stores in Germany, LG said.
|
The raid comes amid an increasingly bitter rivalry between the two
companies which compete in home appliances, TVs and smartphones, and
ahead of the world's biggest consumer electronics show at Las Vegas
in January.
Samsung had asked the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to
investigate LG employees who Samsung says were seen deliberately
destroying several of its premium washing machines on display at two
stores in September ahead of the IFA electronics show in Berlin.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Dec/26/images/ads/current/charrons_bch041713.png)
On Friday, investigators searched the Seoul offices of LG Elec's
home appliance head, Jo Seong-jin, and others and secured documents
and computer hard disks related to the IFA fair, Yonhap News Agency
said. They also combed through LG Electronics' home appliance
factory in the southeastern city of Changwon, the report said.
"We regret today's raid by prosecutors," LG Electronics said in a
statement.
"Our company - a global company - was raided as a result of a
rival's unilateral and excessive claims, and we are concerned that
this would seriously undermine our corporate activities and external
credibility," it said.
A Samsung spokesman declined to comment, while prosecutors were not
available for comments.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/ads/current/demay_inv-lda081412.png)
Samsung sued LG Electronics employees after the incident in Germany,
and LG said the company has counter-sued Samsung employees on Dec.
12.
Media reports have earlier said prosecutors banned LG's Seong-jin
from leaving the country ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) to be held January 6-9.
(Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Dec/26/images/ads/current/tourism_lda_121014.png) |