Input 2021.01.08 10:50
Suspicion of raising slush funds following sexual assault and agency smash incident
I even donated 450 billion won to the founder Cho Chang-geol…
Hanssem, a comprehensive furniture interior company with more than half a hundred years old, has faced the greatest crisis since its establishment.
According to the police on the 8th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s financial crime investigation team seized and searched the external cooperation office, budget department, and server room on the 21st floor of Hanssem headquarters in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul for 8 hours from 10 am on the 7th. The investigation team is known to have secured documents and computerized data that can confirm the contents of illegal solicitation, including documents related to the execution of advertising expenses. In this regard, the police initiated an investigation in November of last year and are investigating officials on charges such as embezzlement in business. The police will analyze the documents confiscated that day and then summon additional officials for investigation.
Hanssem (009240)While denying the allegations of raising a slush fund, Silver is in a position to faithfully engage in police investigation. An official from Hanssem said, “We did not raise non-funds, but we believe that there is a possibility that there may have been a problem in accounting processing, etc., and that we will faithfully engage in police investigations such as preserving related data.” I want to be resolved.”
From 2018 to the end of last year, Hanssem is suspected of having raised a slush fund by deducting a portion of it after spending 4.4 billion won or more in the name of various payments to four advertising agencies suspected of being a paper company (Paper Company). There have also been suspicions of illegal solicitation for providing furniture and interior discounts worth up to tens of millions of won to public officials by expediency.
However, after the 2017 sex crime incident, the atmosphere of the company has changed significantly. Since then, Hanssem has been under investigation by investigative authorities for various illegal allegations. Sex crimes are the case that has damaged the corporate image the most. It was revealed that Hanssem tried to cover up the incident at the company level in which an employee raped a female new employee. He condemned the victim and demanded a false statement. This fact became known to the public when the victim posted an article on the Internet to accuse the fact. The case ended in December 2019 when the suspect admitted all charges at the second trial. The suspect was handed over to trial for two years and six months in prison, four years probation, and forcing the victim to make a false statement, and former HR team leader Han Saem was sentenced to probation last year.
The following year, in 2018, it was investigated by the Fair Trade Commission on charges of’cheating’ against an agency. Hanssem’s flag shop (store that maximizes the brand image), which is a large directly managed store, demands commissions in the name of training expenses, skips sales related expenses such as flyer production, and restricts sales if the sales target is not achieved. The suspicion that he had engaged in a crime was raised.
After various incidents, Chairman Yang-ha Choi at the time explained in an interview with the media, “Because we have been focusing on growth, performance-oriented, and work-oriented, there are many parts that have been missed.” It said that it is changing the corporate culture, such as allowing it. Chairman Choi, who has led Hanssem for 25 years, voluntarily resigned at the end of 2019, and Kang Seung-soo, current Chairman Hanssem, took over.