Fired South Korean worker ends year-long tower protest after Samsung apologises

Kim Yong-hee said he was dismissed by Samsung 25 years ago for trying to establish a trade union

He fought for 24 years to be reinstated, and spent 365 days on a 25-metre traffic tower in Seoul before Samsung apologised

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Former Samsung employee Kim Yong-hee receives a bouquet of flowers after coming down from on top of a 25 metre traffic camera tower in Seoul after a year-long protest. Photo: AP

Published: 2:35pm, 30 May 2020Updated: 9:20pm, 30 May 2020

A man dismissed from his job at the Samsung Group in South Korea ended a year-long protest on a 25-metre traffic surveillance tower on Friday.

Kim Yong-hee climbed down from the tower close to the company's headquarters in Seoul after receiving an apology from the South Korean tech conglomerate, according to a report by Yonhap news agency.

Kim was dismissed 25 years ago, when he was working at the former subsidiary Samsung Techwin. He argues that he was fired for trying to establish a trade union.

Kim Yong-hee, a fired Samsung worker, comes down from a traffic camera tower after he ended a 355-day sit-in. Photo: DPA

He fought unsuccessfully for 24 years to be reinstated, then in June 2019 climbed to the top of the traffic surveillance tower, where he had erected a platform from which to rail against the company.

The two parties reached an agreement after weeks of negotiation, according to Im Mi-ri, the co-leader of a support group for Kim.

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