Police raid offices of venture entrepreneur for cruel and illegal activities

By Lim Chang-won Posted : November 2, 2018, 15:06 Updated : November 2, 2018, 15:06

[Yonhap Photo]


SEOUL -- South Korean police raided the home and offices of a prominent venture entrepreneur who became the target of widespread public criticism for abusing employees and forcing them to kill live chickens with a Japanese samurai sword or a bow.

The raid on Friday came after video clips released this week showed brutal and bizarre activities by Yang Jin-ho, chairman of the online file-sharing service operator, WeDisk, who controls Korea Future Technology (K-Technology) known for the development of a giant manned walking robot.

In one clip, Yang was seen slapping a man in the face and having him kneel in an office. Another clip showed him forcing employees to kill live chickens with a compound bow or a Japanese samurai sword at a company workshop.

Police said Yang is also suspected of overlooking the distribution of illegal videos, including revenge pornography, via his web storage services. The labor ministry would launch a special probe next week into five companies under Yang's control to see if he was involved in the harsh treatment of employees.

The Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) has vowed to sue Yang for violating an animal protection law, accusing him of killing chickens for "entertainment." Yang received attention in December 2016 when the video of a four-meter-tall manned bipedal robot developed by K-Technology went viral.
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