Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) and Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources urged Samsung Electronics labor and management to resume communication.
Minister Kim Young-hoon on the 14th posted on X (formerly Twitter) under the title "Democracy is believing in the power of dialogue," saying, "There are no corporations without workers, and there is no union founded to see a company fail," and added, "In my experience, nothing is as difficult as bargaining. If a strike itself is not the goal, it must ultimately be concluded through bargaining."
Aimed at the Samsung Electronics labor union ahead of a general strike, it voiced a call to "please refrain," while at the same time urging management to engage in active dialogue. The government stepped in and conducted post-mediation for two days, but Samsung Electronics labor and management still have not reached an agreement. The Central Labor Relations Commission asked Samsung Electronics labor and management to resume post-mediation on the 16th, and management resumed additional talks, but the union said, "If there is no change, we make it clear that we will respond with a strike."
Minister Kim Jung-kwan also posted on Facebook under the title "We earnestly urge compromise between Samsung Electronics labor and management."
Minister Kim Jung-kwan said, "Samsung Electronics is a national champion, accounting for 12.5% of sales relative to domestic GDP and employing 129,000 people. It is also a people's company in which one out of ten of our citizens is a shareholder," adding, "The semiconductor industry is virtually the only core strategic asset of Korea and a unique growth engine that will lead the future of the Republic of Korea, so the current situation is all the more concerning."
He said, "Competitor countries are expanding their foothold in the semiconductor market based on strong government support and bold investment," adding, "If a strike occurs in this situation, irreparable economic damage will occur. If factories stop, we expect up to about 1 trillion won in production disruption per day."
Minister Kim Jung-kwan said, "The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea has already warned that if Samsung Electronics experiences production disruptions, it will damage the global partner status that Korea has built. Pressure will also intensify for foreign client companies to demand the local transfer of production facilities," adding, "Given the gravity of this matter and the ripple effects that are hard even to imagine, we must prevent a strike under any circumstances."
He said, "If a strike occurs, I believe an emergency adjustment would also be unavoidable," adding, "We earnestly ask that management present fair compensation, and that labor demand a reasonable distribution that does not undermine the company's future and sustainability, so that Samsung Electronics labor and management, as a national champion, will meet the ardent expectations of the public, numerous domestic and foreign customers, and investors."