by KARIN CHAN
editor@charactermedia.com
The Samsung heir apparent made a public apology on national television Tuesday for his company’s failure to stop the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Lee Jae-yong, 47, addressed the slow response after it was confirmed that a patient had MERS at Samsung Medical Center, a Seoul hospital run by the tech giant’s charity foundation.
“Our Samsung Medical Center was unable to stop the MERS infection and its spread, and caused too much suffering and concern to the public. I bow my head in apology,” Lee said in his address, according to the Associated Press.
The Samsung scion announced that the company plans to reform care and end the outbreak as quickly as possible.
The MERS outbreak has killed 29 people in South Korea since May. Among the 180 patients infected with the disease, AP reported that 85 were patients, relatives, staff or visitors at the Samsung Medical Center. The hospital stopped taking in new patients since last week, according to the Guardian.
Lee is expected to inherit one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates from his 73-year-old father Lee Kun-hee, who is currently being treated at Samsung Medical Center after suffering a heart attack last year.
The MERS outbreak began when a man traveled to the Middle East and became the first patient of MERS in South Korea.
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Featured image via Yonhap
