More than 20 South Korean non-government organizations and trade unions, including Amnesty International South Korean Section, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and Friends of Asia, have urged the Seoul government to investigate Daewoo International Corporation for allegedly sending armaments technology to Burma.

South Korean media recently reported that agents from the public prosecutor’s office had searched Daewoo offices on suspicion of exporting lathes and other material used for making the fuses of bombs.

The protest groups issued a statement on Wednesday criticizing the South Korean government for failing to tackle the problem earlier. The groups said it had been known that Daewoo had been engaged in dubious exports to Burma since 2000. “We strongly condemn the South Korean government for its failure to monitor the issue for more than five years,” said the statement.

The protestors also complained about Seoul supporting the Burmese regime under the slogan of energy security. Daewoo is engaged in developing Burmese offshore gas fields in the Bay of Bengal.