【社會】韓國頂級財閥家族“內鬥”：LG的繼承和遺產之爭_風聞

【來源龍騰網】

正文原創翻譯：

SEOUL, South Korea — When Koo Bon-moo, chairperson of South Korean conglomerate LG, died in 2018, there wasn’t much question, at least publicly, of who would next preside over the company.

韓國首爾——當韓國企業集團LG的董事長具本茂於2018年去世時，至少在公開場合，該公司的下一任掌門人選沒有太多疑問。

LG, a $10 billion corporate empire, is governed by the principle of male primogeniture. Succession was effectively settled 14 years earlier when Koo and his wife adopted their eldest nephew, Koo Kwang-mo. The adoption was necessitated by tragedy and tradition after the couple’s teenage son died in 1994, and their efforts for another male heir resulted in a second daughter.

LG是一個價值100億美元的企業帝國，遵循長子繼承的原則。14年前，具本茂夫婦收養了他們的長侄具光謨，繼承問題就得到了有效解決。1994年，這對夫婦十幾歲的兒子去世，由於這個悲劇以及傳統，他們只得收養這個孩子。後來他們也想再生一個男性繼承人，結果有了第二個女兒。

The Koo family has controlled LG since it was founded in 1947, and the transition that elevated Kwang-mo to the helm seemed seamless, burnishing the family’s reputation for harmony.

自1947年LG成立以來，具氏家族一直控制着該公司，將具光謨擢升為掌門人這一過渡似乎是天衣無縫的，進一步提升了該家族和睦的聲譽。

It wasn’t.

但事實並非如此。

The former chairperson died, at age 73, without a will. What followed was a power struggle within the Koo family and LG over the inheritance of his estimated $1.5 billion fortune — including his 11% stake in the company. Now, five years later, the former chairperson’s widow and two daughters are suing Koo Kwang-mo, accusing him and other LG executives of deception to steal their rightful inheritance to bolster his claim to the company.

具本茂前會長去世時享年73歲，沒有留下遺囑。接下來，具氏家族和LG內部圍繞他的15億美元財產（包括他持有的LG11%的股份）的繼承權展開了權力鬥爭。現在，五年過去了，這位前會長的遺孀和兩個女兒正在起訴具光謨，指控他和LG的其他高管為加強他對公司的所有權，欺詐、竊取她們的合法遺產。

The women said they want their full inheritance, but they are not seeking control of LG.

她們表示，她們希望得到全部遺產，但她們並不尋求對LG的控制權。

The lawsuit not only pits the matriarch of one of South Korea’s wealthiest families and her daughters against the adopted male heir, who is now one of the country’s most influential business figures. It also challenges LG’s patriarchal tradition that allows the oldest male successor to seize power and wealth, leaving female family members as afterthoughts in the company.

這起訴訟不僅是韓國最富有家族之一的女族長及其女兒們與被收養的男性繼承人對抗（後者現在是韓國最具影響力的商界人物之一），還挑戰了LG的父權傳統——讓最年長的男性繼承人把握權力和財富，讓女性家族成員在公司中處於次要地位。

Omnipresent in South Korea, LG is a holding company comprising 11 publicly traded businesses, including LG Chem, the country’s largest materials and chemicals firm, and LG Electronics, whose televisions, dishwashers and other home appliances are popular worldwide.

LG是一家控股公司，在韓國無所不在，旗下有11家上市公司，包括韓國最大的材料和化學品公司LG化學和LG電子，其電視、洗碗機和其他家用電器在全球都很受歡迎。

In a legal filing, the former chairperson’s widow, Kim Young-shik, and her daughters, Koo Yeon-kyung and Koo Yeon-sue, accused LG executives of colluding with Koo Kwang-mo and his biological father to swindle them.

在一份法律文件中，前會長具本茂的遺孀金英植和女兒具延京（音）及具延蘇（音）指控LG高管與具光謨及其生父勾結，詐騙她們。

In transcxts of secretly recorded conversations filed in the legal documents, Koo Kwang-mo pleads with his adopted mother not to challenge the inheritance because it will hurt LG’s image and his leadership of the company, potentially tarnishing his reputation among the Korean public.

在作為文件提交給法庭的秘密錄音的文字談話記錄中，具光謨懇求養母不要質疑他的繼承，因為這會損害LG的形象和他對公司的領導，可能會損害他在韓國公眾中的聲譽。

“The scariest thing is the public opinion,” he said, according to the transcxt. “How are they going to look at this situation? ‘Someone got greedy,’ or that I didn’t come visit and do a good job of caring for my mother.”

“最可怕的是公眾輿論，”他説。“他們會怎麼看待這種事？‘有人貪心了’，或者我沒有來看望母親，沒有好好照顧母親。”

In addition, the women accused Ha Beom-jong, the former chairperson’s aide and now LG’s president, of misleading them to believe that there was a will that left everything to Koo Kwang-mo. Without a will, South Korean law states, the widow would be entitled to inherit one-third of the estate with the remainder divided equally between the two daughters and Kwang-mo.

此外，她們還指控説，前會長助理、現LG總裁河範鍾（音）誤導她們，讓她們以為有份遺囑要把一切都留給具光謨。韓國法律規定，如果沒有遺囑，寡婦有權繼承三分之一的遺產，其餘的遺產由兩個女兒和具光謨平均分配。

Instead, the women said they were duped into an agreement in which roughly 75% of the estate went to Kwang-mo. The lawsuit, filed in Seoul Western District Court, seeks to redistribute the estate according to the legal standard.

她們説自己被騙達成了一項協議，其中約75%的遺產歸具光謨所有。在首爾西區法院提起的訴訟要求根據法律標準重新分配遺產。

“We cannot stand having our rights, protected under the constitution and the law, be disregarded just because we are women,” the women said in a notice filed with the lawsuit.

“我們不能忍受僅僅因為我們是女性，就無視我們受憲法和法律保護的權利，”她們在與訴訟一起提交的告知書中説。

ulchon LLC, a law firm representing Kwang-mo, said in a statement that the inheritance is “a legally settled matter” that was resolved four years ago after extensive negotiations and that there have been about 10 rounds of consultations and several revisions since the chairperson’s death. It also noted Kim had signed a document agreeing that Kwang-mo should receive the LG shares and assets related to controlling the company.

代表具光謨的律所Yulchon LLC在聲明中表示，遺產是“法律上已經解決的問題”，是在四年前經過廣泛談判後解決的，自具本茂去世以來，已經進行了大約10輪磋商，並進行了幾次修改。它還表示，金英植簽署了同意具光謨接受LG股份和LG控股相關資產的文件。

In 2017, Bon-moo was 72 and still seemed healthy. He went to the doctor because his face appeared slightly lopsided, and he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

2017年，具本茂已經72歲，但看起來仍然健康。他因為臉部出現輕微歪斜而就醫，被診斷出患有膠質母細胞瘤，這是一種侵襲性腦癌。

Bon-moo’s brain surgery in April 2017 went smoothly, but after a second operation in December, he suffered a seizure that left him unable to speak. He died in May 2018.

2017年4月，具本茂的腦部手術進行得很順利，但在12月的第二次手術後，癲癇發作，無法説話。他於2018年5月去世。

His death raised a possible succession battle. During his illness, the company was being run by one of his other brothers, Koo Bon-joon. Koo Kwang-mo, who was 40 at the time, had been an LG executive for a decade but had accrued little management experience.

他的死在當時引發了一場可能的繼任之爭。在他生病期間，該公司由他的另一個兄弟具本俊經營，後者當時40歲，在LG擔任高管已有10年，但沒有多少管理經驗。

In the blur of the funeral proceedings, his wife and daughters claim, Kwang-mo’s biological father and LG officials started angling for control.

他的妻子和女兒們聲稱，在恍惚混亂的後事處理期間，具光謨的生父和LG高層開始奪取控制權。

Without notifying them, the women say, Kwang-mo’s biological father and LG officials enlisted a locksmith to help them pry open the former chairperson’s safes at the company office and a vacation home.

她們表示，在未告知她們的情況下，具光謨的生父和LG高層找一名鎖匠強行打開了具本茂在公司辦公室和一處度假屋的保險箱。

Then Ha, who had been Bon-moo’s aide, and another employee came to the family’s stately home in Seoul and told them that the senior Koo had left a will, according to the women in interviews with The New York Times. His wishes, they recalled the employees telling them, were that all his shares and the chairmanship go to his adopted son, in keeping with family custom since LG’s founding. Ha has denied in court testimony that he ever told the family there was a will.

她們在接受《紐約時報》採訪時稱，曾擔任具本茂助手的河宗範隨後與另一名員工來到她們位於首爾的豪宅，告訴她們具本茂留下了一份遺囑。她們回憶稱，此二人告訴她們，具本茂的遺願是按照LG創立以來的家族規矩，讓養子繼承他的所有股份和會長職位。在法庭證詞中，河宗範否認曾告知具本茂家屬遺囑之事。

“The person my father trusted the most and supposedly knew everything came to us and said there was a will, and based on that, it all goes to Kwang-mo,” Koo Yeon-kyung, the eldest daughter, 45, said in an interview.

“我父親最信任的那個人本來應該瞭解所有情況，結果他來對我們説，（父親）留下了遺囑，根據這份遺囑，所有財產都歸具光謨所有，”45歲的大女兒具延京在採訪中表示。

Kim, 71, said she was told she needed to forgo inheriting any of her husband’s shares to ensure Kwang-mo’s succession and prevent any challenge from her late husband’s brother, Bon-joon. She said she went along with it, but she questioned Ha about whether Bon-moo truly wanted his daughters to receive no shares. She said Kwang-mo eventually agreed to give roughly one-fifth of Bon-moo’s shares, worth about $270 million by current share prices, to his two sisters.

71歲的金英植被告知，她必須放棄繼承丈夫的所有股份，以確保具光謨擁有繼承權，並防範已故丈夫的弟弟具本俊提出任何異議。她説自己配合了這一安排，但也質問了河宗範，具本茂是否真的不希望女兒們獲得股份。她説，具光謨最後同意將具本茂所持股份的約五分之一（按當前股價計算價值約2.7億美元）分給這兩姐妹。

The women said that they were told that they would receive the former chairperson’s cash, other investments and the family’s home in Seoul, and that Kwang-mo would pay hundreds of millions of dollars in inheritance tax. South Korea levies a tax of at least 50% on inherited assets over $2.3 million.

她們説，自己還被告知將獲得具本茂持有的現金和其他投資，以及家族在首爾的住處，而具光謨將繳納數億美元的遺產税。韓國對超過230萬美元的財產繼承至少要收50%的税。

The women said they continued living their lives normally. Yeon-kyung said she remembered her father’s wishes that she get involved in running LG’s charitable foundations and started working at one of them as an adviser in 2021.

她們説她們後來繼續照常生活。具延京表示，她還記得父親曾希望她能參與LG慈善基金會的運營，她也從2021年開始在其中一家基金會擔任顧問。

Around that time, Yeon-kyung said, she felt something was amiss when she applied for a store credit card to get a discount on a gift for a friend but was rejected because she had too many loans. She said that came as a surprise to her.

具延京説，大約在那個時候她就感覺到有點不對勁，因為她為了給朋友買禮物打折申請了商店信用卡但遭到拒絕，理由是貸款太多。她説這讓她十分意外。

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Realizing how little she, her sister and her mother knew about their own finances, she started going from bank to bank to pull years’ worth of statements. There were large inheritance tax payments and loans against their LG shares that didn’t comport with their understanding that Kwang-mo alone would shoulder the tax.

她意識到她與妹妹還有母親對自身財務狀況知之甚少，於是開始從各家銀行調取多年來的對賬單。賬上有大筆遺產税支出以及用LG股份抵押貸款的記錄，這不符合她們對具光謨一人承擔遺產税的認知。

As the women pieced together the state of their finances, they said, they realized that Kwang-mo had also received more cash and investment assets than they thought they had agreed to.

她們説，當把自身財務狀況拼湊到一起，才發現具光謨獲得了比約定更多的現金和投資資產。

Yeon-kyung said she and her mother began secretly recording conversations with Kwang-mo and Ha in 2022. Throughout the year, the exchanges grew tense, and at times, emotional, according to excerpts from transcxts, which the plaintiffs have cited as evidence that they were misled by the men now running LG.

具延京説，她和母親從2022年開始對她們與具光謨和河宗範的對話進行秘密錄音。錄音的文字摘錄顯示，在這一年間，雙方的交流愈發緊張，有時還很意氣用事，原告也以此為證據，聲稱自己受到了現今LG掌管者的誤導。

In one recording from November 2022, Kim complained to Kwang-mo that they were treated by the finance staff as if they could be ignored because they were women.

在2022年11月的一段錄音中，金英植向具光謨抱怨，集團財務似乎覺得因為她們是女性就可以被忽視怠慢一樣。

“All this time has passed, and now that we look into it, so much was done without our knowledge,” she said, according to a transcxt.

“已經過去了這麼久，現在回頭再看，有太多事都把我們矇在鼓裏了，”根據轉錄文件，她當時這樣説。

“The ‘our’ you mention doesn’t include me, right?” Kwang-mo asked in return.

“你説的‘我們’不包括我，對吧？”具光謨反問道。

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Kwang-mo sent his mother a letter in January clarifying the unexplained withdrawals from her accounts. He said that, unbeknown to him, “the employees” were short on funds to pay the inheritance tax under his name, so they paid it under her name using her assets, but that they had planned to pay her back. Still, he asked her not to assert her inheritance rights.

今年1月，具光謨給他的母親寫了一份信，澄清了從其賬户中無故提款的事情。他説自己並不知道“手下員工”沒有足夠的資金以他的名義繳納遺產税，於是以她的名義動用了她的資產，但他們已經準備把錢還給她。然而，具光謨還是請求她不要主張自己的繼承權。

“If the elders each asserted their rights under the inheritance law, LG’s management control would not have been passed down to the 4th generation as it is now,” he wrote in the letter.

“如果長輩們都根據繼承法主張各自的繼承權，那LG的經營權就不會像現在這樣傳到第四代人手上了，”他在信中寫道。

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A month later, the women filed suit.

一個月後，這些女性提起了訴訟。