Power Abuse

Lee Jang-han, chairman of Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals.
Lee Jang-han, chairman of Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals.

 

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on July 18, the ministry launched an investigation into a controversy surrounding the use of violent language against his chauffeurs by Lee Jang-han, chairman of Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to focus on a violation of the Labor Standards Act based on the testimonies and recording files of drivers who heard the chairman's vulgar language and profanities.

"If a violation of the act is founded after the probe, we will look into the issue and actively review whether or not there were unfair treatments at whole workplaces," said an official of the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Earlier, media reports said that chairman Lee spoke vehemently to and swore at his chauffeurs, putting chairman Lee under fire. Thus, chairman Lee made an official apology at a news conference on July 14, but the wave has not stopped with the police launching an investigation on July 17.

Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals is a top-tier pharmaceutical company with annual sales of 830 billion won. The company is famous for Penzal, an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and pain-killing drug, and Cendom, an erectile dysfunction treatment. The company was founded in 1941 and changed its name to Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals in 1946. On January 10, 1956, the company became a corporation. Chairman Lee Jang-han is the eldest son of the chairman Lee Jong-keun, the founder of the company. Chairman Lee Jang-han is serving as vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries. In 1976, the company listed its shares on the Korea Stock Exchange. In 1979, Korea Productivity Center selected Jong Keun Dang as one of the top ten companies in terms of management.

Jong Kun Dang’s main business is manufacturing and selling pharmaceuticals, chemicals, veterinary drugs, quasi-drugs, cosmetics and agricultural chemicals, etc. About 170 kinds of drugs are being produced via technical cooperation with Bioresearch of Switzerland, Boehringer-Mannheim of Germany, Syntex and Newport of the USA among others. Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals has exported more than 20 kinds of drugs including tetracycline, oxytetracycline, sepharose, and morphine.

 

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