Samsung said that an increasing number of enterprises are getting serious about actively managing their online reputations, and Samsung will be no exception to that trend. (image credit: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Korea Bizwire) – Samsung Electronics has started to take action against the online dissemination of false accusations about its products. The company recently revealed the whole story behind a false report about its Galaxy Note 4 phablet that went viral on several Korean IT online communities.
According to a post on Samsung’s official blog, a man known by Cho posted a thread in an online PC community on December 3, 2014. Cho wrote that 8 out of 10 Galaxy Note 4 phones on the market were made with used AMOLED displays, but that the devices were sold to the public as new products.
Cho’s allegation, which quickly spread among several online communities, caused a quite a stir on the internet. Although Samsung Electronics denied the allegations immediately after the incident, accusing voices on the net did not subside easily.
Cho then posted another thread with a picture of a Samsung Electronics issued ID card, proving that he was once an employee of Samsung Electronics.
However, as soon as the picture turned out to be a Photoshop manipulation, netizens started to dig into Cho’s personal information, and found out that he worked as an intern at a Samsung service center for a month in October 2012.
Amidst the intensifying turn of events, Cho tweeted on December 9, 2014 that he was only trying to unveil misconduct at one of Samsung’s subcontractors, and that he only mentioned the Samsung name on his thread to increase the damage to the subcontractor.
On December 9, Samsung Electronics filed a complaint against Cho with the police. During the investigation, the police discovered that Cho even blackmailed Samsung Electronics. Cho forged a video clip filmed in a way to deliver a false accusation against Samsung while he was working for Samsung’s primary subcontractor for three weeks.
He blackmailed Samsung Electronics to hire him, threatening to let the forged video clip go public. It was found that Cho decided to spread the false allegation in anger, after Samsung Electronics refused his demand. Cho was sentenced to three years in prison on December 31, 2014.
Samsung Electronics said that many Korean companies have been staying silent over online rumors and accusations. However, the company said that an increasing number of enterprises are getting serious about actively managing their online reputations, and Samsung will be no exception to that trend.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
