Samsung Electronics Co has apologized and offered compensation to the chip factory workers who were afflicted with cancer due to raw chemical exposure.
It was seen as a rare win for the families of the workers and the activists who held the company accountable for the death of a 23-year old worker seven years ago.
Samsung vice-chairman Kwon Oh-hyun said that the organization regrets that a solution had not been found in a timely manner and would use the opportunity to express their apologies to its affected members. However, he also said that the apology does not mean it concedes a link between the chemicals used in the chip factories and cancer.
According to Fox News, since the past few years the company has resisted calls to apologize. The organization also provided assistance to a government compensation agency in legal battles over the agency's refusal to pay compensation to workers, it added.
Samsung issued a statement after a month when opposition party lawmaker Sim Sang-jeung compelled the government and Samsung to come up with mitigation and safety strategies to help workers sustain from workplace infections.
