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| Korea |
| Hyundai tour boss suicide |
| 2003-08-04 |
| A top official with the Hyundai group has committed suicide by jumping off a building that is part of the company’s headquarters, South Korean media has reported. Chung Mong-hun, chairman of Hyundai Asan Co.,...killed himself at about 6 a.m. Monday by leaping from his 12th-floor office. Chung was being investigated in connection with an alleged payment of hundreds of millions of dollars to North Korea in exchange for its holding a summit between South and North Korean leaders. He was also being investigated for alleged doctoring of company books and siphoning billions of dollars into slush funds. ... Chung was found dead on the ground by his female secretary. So far, eight former government officials and Hyundai officials have been indicted in the scandal. If convicted, some could face up to five years in prison. He jumped for fear of doing five years?? That is some cruel prison system they have. |
| Posted by:Raphael |
| #13 If only the American business executives had that sense of "honour" Wall Street would be littered with their corpses--starting with Ken/Enron -- enjoying your higher utility bills Californians? This guy's suicide wasn't a matter of honor - it was a matter of protecting his political masters. Because of this suicide, Kim Dae Jung will probably get off scot free. Note that Kim Woo Choong, the chief of Daewoo* who inflated his company's assets to get new loans, actually fled Korea rather than face the music. (As usual, NMM is wrong on the facts, which doesn't, by the way, prevent him from coming to his usual spurious conclusions). Suicide doesn't solve any problems - it just makes the prosecution of the suicide's accomplices that much harder. Suicide is the easy way out - it's staying alive to face long prison terms and large inmates named Bubba that takes courage. * the Korean equivalent of Chrysler, United Technologies and Honeywell put together |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-8-4 11:59:17 PM |
| #12 If only the American |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-8-4 11:05:00 PM |
| #11 and worse, hyundai makes crappy cheaparse cars. Give me a toyota any day! |
| Posted by: Anon1 2003-8-4 9:25:58 PM |
| #10 ..it's the Asian concept of "losing face" He lost his face all right. Now if only the other NK appeasers would do the same..... |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-8-4 8:55:53 PM |
| #9 Hyundai exec is KIA. |
| Posted by: SPQR 2755 2003-8-4 2:01:36 PM |
| #8 From the Herald Sun: "Hyundai shares fell on news of the death" |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-8-4 1:07:07 PM |
| #7 I worked for Symbios Logic, a chip manufacturer, that Hyundai bought, then sold when they were strapped for cash in 2000. Hyundai did little to manage the company, other than ensure the bottom line showed a profit - the bigger the better. It did focus the attention of several of us on the company that was ultimately responsible for our paychecks. We learned there is NOTHING in Korea that doesn't have some affiliation with Hyundai. My take would be that the information currently made public is only the tip of the iceberg, and when the rest of the story leaks out (if it ever does), it will show that Hyundai was operating as a quasi-government, making diplomatic deals with the North that the South couldn't or wouldn't support. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-8-4 10:39:37 AM |
| #6 "Is this part of the tour?" |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-8-4 8:18:39 AM |
| #5 I suppose it's not the prison term, it's the Asian concept of "losing face". |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-8-4 6:56:20 AM |
| #4 Well, in case you were not aware we trained the mujahadeen in Afghanistan... Oh, this is South Korea, never mind, misplaced diatribe. But I'm sure it was the CIA. I hear Charlie Wilson drives a Hynduai. |
| Posted by: af 2003-8-4 6:49:14 AM |
| #3 #2 The CIA did it. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-8-4 6:39:36 AM |
| #2 Oh Tokyo, surely it was the CIA and also the jewwws covering up for their zionist-American plots! |
| Posted by: Anon1 2003-8-4 6:34:09 AM |
| #1 Leading Nork appeaser offs self?! Let the conspiracy theories begin. Theory #1: He was being pressured to cover for former president and Nobel Peace prize winner Kim Dae Jung and the leading Korean multinational conglomorate. (I apologize if this seems obvious). Any other theories out there? |
| Posted by: Tokyo Taro 2003-8-4 3:47:31 AM |