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HWASEONG, SOUTH KOREA - MARCH 02: Samsung Electronic's semiconductor factory on March 2, 2017 in HWASEONG, South Korea. Samsung Electronics Co. has been in the middle of controversy over its workers with occupational diseases over the past ten years since one of the semiconductor factory workers, Hwang Yoo-mi had died of leukemia in 2007. An advocacy organisation, the Supporters for Health and Right of People in Semiconductor Industry (SHARPS), comprised of victims and families who have not accepted Samsung's compensation, demands the company a sincere apology, transparent compensation, and commitment to prevent the recurrences. According to SHARPS, 229 labourers and sub-contractors of the Samsung semiconductor and LCD factories have suffered from occupational diseases, and 79 of them have died of incurable illnesses such as leukaemia, malignant lymphoma and melanoma since SHARPS began documenting the cases in 2007. On March 2014, Kwon Oh-hyun, CEO of Samsung Electronics Co., apologised and promised to follow a compensation guideline over the deaths and suffering of its semiconductor workers, and that Samsung would establish a third party to settle the issue with the victims and their families. On January 12, 2016 an agreement was signed in Seoul among Samsung, another victims' families' group and SHARPS to set up an independent body to inspect the working conditions at Samsung's facilities in an effort to prevent diseases. Since then Samsung said it gave the compensation money to 120 victims with diseases which Samsung deemed as "suspected of occupational." However, SHARPS demands "compensation with no exception and a reopening the dialogue." (Photo by Jean Chung/Getty Images)