Samsung probes alleged housing subsidy abuse
Samsung Electronics is investigating more than 100 Pyeongtaek chip division employees over claims they falsified housing contracts to receive rent subsidies.
Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek campus in Gyeonggi is seen on May 19.
YONHAP
Samsung Electronics has launched an investigation into allegations that some employees in its Device Solutions (DS) division misappropriated company housing subsidies by faking their housing contracts.
Multiple posts recently appeared on Blind, an anonymous online community for office workers, alleging that some DS employees at Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek campus submitted rental contracts containing terms that differed from their actual leases in order to qualify for the company's housing subsidies, industry sources said Tuesday.
Since 2022, Samsung Electronics' DS division has provided up to 700,000 won ($520) per month in rent subsidies to employees at its Pyeongtaek campus who live in officetels — dual-purpose buildings used for commercial and residential purposes) — studios or 1.5-room units smaller than 33 square meters (355 square feet).
The benefit is intended for employees who need separate accommodations because they live too far away to commute or they work shifts.
Some employees, however, are suspected of improperly receiving the subsidies while actually living in homes measuring 33 square meters or larger or in two-room units. They allegedly understated the size of their homes or listed a different type of housing on their rental contracts to qualify for the benefit.
Some employees uploaded posts on Blind saying they "were persuaded by the realtor" and that "everyone else is doing it," and even asked for the union's help.
Samsung Electronics is reviewing the allegations involving employees who have received the housing subsidies to determine the facts. More than 100 employees are reportedly under investigation.
One post on Blind claimed, “Our company is about to fire [undefined amount] people.”
Claims have also surfaced that the company is asking employees found to have improperly received the subsidies to choose between voluntarily resigning and undergoing disciplinary proceedings. It has not been confirmed, however, whether Samsung Electronics has formally adopted or offered such a policy.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
