Samsung Display has decided to ask the government to judge whether its work environment assessment report on LCD panel lines contain trade secrets that need protection from public disclosure.

Samsung Electronics took a similar move earlier this week after the Ministry of Labor and Employment agreed to disclose its findings from regular semi-annual worksite evaluations on display and chip making facilities of the country’s top conglomerate at the request of families of workers who died after working at cleanrooms.

A Samsung Display official said on Wednesday the company will ask the trade and industry ministry to evaluate the labor ministry’s judgment on grounds of intellectual property protection for national interests. Key innovations with relevance to national security and economy are protected by the law.

The labor ministry, whose move has been suspended from a temporary injunction sought by Samsung, still maintains it will comply with the appeals court ruling that granted the family of a former Samsung Electronics worker access to the reports on work conditions at fabrication lines of Samsung.

A Samsung Group official said they are willing to provide documents needed to prove industrial accidents, but the disclosure of the reports that describe over 500 wafer fabrication processes to the public could expose years of know-how and trade secrets regarding plant layouts and workflow designs. Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest chipmaker and Samsung Display a global leader in OLED technology.

By Lee Dong-in and Minu Kim

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