Former Samsung employee ends protest after 354 days

SEOUL: A former Samsung employee who spent 354 days atop a traffic camera tower in the South Korean capital ended his protest Friday after the business conglomerate apologised and agreed to a settlement to resolve his 25-year-long grievance.

Sixty-year-old Kim Yong-hee waved a banner with a Samsung logo and a protest slogan while a rescue worker on a fire-truck ladder helped him down from the 25-meter (82-foot) high tower. Supporters gave him a bouquet of flowers as he landed.

On June 10, near to Samsung's headquarters, Kim climbed the tower overlooking the busiest intersection in Seoul and demanded that the multinational apologise and offer compensation for what he called its illegal decision to fire him in 1995 for trying to set up a labor union.

Kim had relied on supporters and activists to bring him food, clothes and phone batteries, which he then pulled up from the ground by a rope.

I suffered panic disorder and had to constantly fight the urge to jump off ..." Kim told French news agency AFP, describing how he lived on top of "such a small space" that he could not even stretch his legs. "I hope Samsung will now really guarantee all union activities of all employees," he said.

In its apology, Samsung said it should have done more to ease Kim's "pain and agony." The company also apologized for "failing to promptly solve the issue."

However, the firm did not clearly acknowledge Kim's claim that he lost his job due to union activism. At the time he was fired, Kim had been working at Samsung's now-defunct aerospace unit.

Neither Kim nor Samsung discussed details of the settlement reached, or whether Kim would be reinstated at the company.