[full] 사람을 자르는 쉬운 방법? - 계획된 파산 | 추적60분 1451회 KBS 260410 방송

[KBS 1TV Tracking 60 Minutes] An Easy Way to Fire People? Planned Bankruptcy Broadcast Date: Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:00 PM / Episode 1451 In 2025, Mobase Electronics, a solid mid-sized company specializing in automotive electronics and electrical components, achieves 1 trillion won in sales. However, on January 22 of the following year, its subsidiary, Wochang Connecta, is declared bankrupt. “We didn’t know they had filed for bankruptcy until January 22 (the day of the bankruptcy). Everything just ended in one minute with a single word. That day.” Kim Min-jeong / Union Branch President, 12th Year at the Company - What could have happened to this sound SME that produced SRC (Steering Roll Connector), a core component of vehicle steering wheels, and held several related patents? ▣ The Day Power and Water Were Cut Off at Woochang Connecta Eighteen days after the declaration of bankruptcy, the production team of Tracking 60 Minutes visited Woochang Connecta. The number of employees laid off overnight included 15 office workers and 65 production workers. However, every single production worker was coming to work without exception. “We can’t withdraw. We believe that the moment the machinery is removed, it’s all over for us. If Mobase Electronics takes the equipment, sets it up elsewhere, and runs it, then it’s just the end for us right here.” – Kim Min-jeong / Union Branch President, 12th Year at the Company – On the day of the bankruptcy declaration, employees reported to work and were on duty as usual. Then, a bankruptcy trustee appeared and announced that employment relations had been terminated, and a few days later, the company’s power and water were cut off. The workers state that there was no prior notice regarding the bankruptcy or dismissals. To prevent the parent company from attempting to remove the equipment, the Woochang Connecta workers were living and sleeping at the company, which had been cut off from power and water. Wuchang Connecta employees claim that all of this is a deliberately planned bankruptcy. ▣ Is It an Intentional Planned Bankruptcy? Many Wuchang Connecta employees have been with the company for over 10 or 20 years. They describe it as an ideal workplace with strong bonds among colleagues and good earnings. In fact, Wuchang Connecta even embarked on expansion, such as establishing a subsidiary in China in 2005. However, starting in 2019, sales plummeted and the debt ratio increased. 2019 was the year Wuchang Connecta was acquired by Mobase Electronics. Following the acquisition in September 2019, Wuchang Connecta's sales and operating profit plunged. The cost of goods sold ratio averaged over 100%. The problem was that the only customer was the parent company, Mobase Electronics. The structure was such that Wuchang Connecta's sales and operating profit were entirely determined by the parent company. “Mobase Electronics took away everything profitable.” Kim Min-jeong, Union Branch Chairperson, 12th Year at the Company - Wuchang Connecta’s subsidiary, ‘Jiaxing Huachang (China),’ was a company that paid a total of 13 billion won in dividends from 2015 to 2019. Its parent company, Mobase Electronics, acquired this valuable subsidiary from Wuchang Connecta for 7.4 billion won. Crucially, in 2022, it accounted for all tangible assets, excluding buildings, as zero won. “The physical assets remain. The physical assets remain, but it implies, ‘We won’t make a profit even if we run this machine.’ At the very least, at this point, the company’s management has effectively declared, ‘We won’t make a profit in the future.’ That is why all financial statements deteriorate. Ultimately, it becomes a stepping stone toward bankruptcy.” - Jang Seok-woo / Certified Public Accountant & Attorney - Woochang Connecta’s management instantly wrote off the company’s internal assets to zero, thereby increasing the debt ratio. Experts say this became the decisive basis for the bankruptcy. Everything was accounting-wise possible and legal. However, that year (2022), Woochang Connecta’s debt ratio recorded 5,663%. The following year, Woochang Connecta fell into complete capital impairment, eventually leading to a declaration of bankruptcy. “When my child grows up, no matter which company they join, they will eventually become a worker again. I hope they don’t end up in a situation like mine then. I hope a world comes where, when my child grows up and works, they can work for a company with stability.” - Jang So-ra / 14th Year at the Company - The workers at Woochang Connecta claim that this bankruptcy is a planned one and a disguised closure. They argue that the company used bankruptcy procedures to repay its debts and easily dismiss the workers. The workers have appealed the bankruptcy declaration in order to return to the factory where they used to work. Episode 1451 of *Tracking 60 Minutes*, titled “An Easy Way to Fire People? Planned Bankruptcy,” which investigates the hidden si...