Koreans shamed, embarrassed over hearing of chaebol

South Koreans tuned into the parliamentary hearing of the country’s nine biggest corporations with shame and embarrassment, as the nation’s business leaders looked solemn and agitated.

The owners of conglomerates attended a public hearing by the National Assembly to be grilled about suspicious connections between them and President Park Geun-hye’s confidante Choi Soon-sil.

Many young Koreans watched the hearing on social networking sites including the Facebook Live service and expressed their disappointment about the reality of the situation, calling it a “comedy.”

“I have never imagined seeing the tycoons being daunted in front of lawmakers,” said Hong Mi-hee, an employee at one of the conglomerates, who watched the hearing in the morning through her smartphone while working. “I couldn’t suppress my laughter while watching it, especially when the chairmen made foolish answers, but I felt sad on the other hand about the current situation.“

For many of the viewers, it was the first chance to hear the voices of some of the chaebol owners.

Some said they were disappointed of the demeanor or “lack of finesse” shown by the country’s most affluent business owners while responding to questions that largely involved repetition.

Kim Han-jung, representative of the Minjoo Party of Korea, pointed out quality of answers by Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, saying “Lee wouldn’t pass interviews to enter Samsung.”

Others also expressed anger over the lack of due courtesy or depth of the lawmakers’ questions, with many throwing irrelevant questions or tirades against the chaebol.

“Some Saenuri Party representatives acted like defenders of the chaebol, while some others delivered tirades that were totally irrelevant,” said a viewer surnamed Kim. “It was a bit uncomfortable to see some lawmakers roaring at the witnesses, clear proof of the lowbrow National Assembly.”

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)