Samsung operates factories in South Korea, Vietnam, and Mexico. While I can't speak to the conditions in Vietnam and Mexico, South Korean factories aren't exactly a picnic. Samsung wields quite a bit of power in Korean society, and is notorious for suppressing news about working conditions at their Korean factories, though some particularly egregious situations have made news headlines in Korean news. (E.g. deaths due to prolonged exposure to hazardous chemicals.)

I get the sense that these incidents in Korea aren't of significant interest to Western news media, whereas tying Apple (American company) to Foxconn (Chinese factory) virtually guarantees clicks on American news websites.