[THE INVESTOR] Hanwha Group’s founding family’s unfortunate relationship with the law is continuing with the youngest of Chairman Kim Seung-youn’s three sons in the dock.



On Jan. 19, Kim Dong-seon was indicted on a number of charges including assault over the Jan. 5 incident in which he allegedly assaulted two bar workers in southern Seoul.







Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn, his wire and the youngest son Dong-seon.





The younger Kim has since resigned from his post at a subsidiary of the group in an attempt to distance the company from his actions.



However, the incident has raised criticism against his family’s reputation, which has already been damaged by incidents extensively covered by the local media.



Numerous members of South Korea’s chaebol -- family operated conglomerates -- have had brushes with the law, but none quite like the Kims of Hanwha Group.



The leading cause of legal troubles for local business leaders is their apparent inability to keep straight books or to see the companies as more than their personal properties.



For the men of Hanwha, however, the issue is rather more primal in nature.



The Kims’ most well know run-in with the law occurred in 2007, by the chairman himself.



In an incident that shocked the nation, the chairman kidnapped four people and assaulted them at a remote location in Seoul.



The incident was sparked by their altercation with his second son Kim Dong-won, and the Hanwha chief descended on the victim with the backing of a number of bodyguards.



The elder Kim was sentenced to 18-month imprisonment, suspended for three years, and 200 hours of community service.



Dong-won’s personal brush with the law came four years after his father took revenge on his assailants. In 2011, he was fined for causing a traffic accident and leaving the scene without taking necessary measures. Three years later, he was indicted for allegedly smoking cannabis.



By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)