As Samsung Electronics and SK hynix employees are expected to receive performance bonuses worth hundreds of millions of won, related "tipsheets" are spreading online. A review found some claims were far from the truth, while others could be possible in light of changes to company policies.
◇ "A surge in divorces because of SK hynix bonuses"? … Not true
Posts have spread on online communities and messengers claiming that "as SK hynix employees move to divorce ahead of large performance bonuses, divorce filings at the court with jurisdiction over Icheon have surged 800% from before." But that was not true.
According to the status of family case filings at the Yeoju branch of the Suwon District Court, which has jurisdiction over Icheon, there were 135 first-instance family lawsuits filed through April this year. That was up from 92 in the same period last year, but not significantly different from 128 in the same period in 2024.
Family mediation cases also totaled 38 through April this year, the same as the same period last year. In short, there was no statistical basis to conclude that "divorces surged ahead of bonuses."
Inside SK hynix, some even say higher income has prompted them to rethink family plans. An SK hynix employee, identified as A, said, "My wife recently became pregnant," and noted, "As our income increased, we naturally agreed to have more children."
◇ "Total pay of 8.2 billion won over three years for an SK hynix employee"? … Not realistic
It has also been shared online that an SK hynix employee with an annual salary of 80 million won could receive a total of 8.2 billion won over the next three years. The claim is 2 billion won this year, 2.7 billion won in 2027, and 3.5 billion won in 2028. However, considering the actual bonus structure, the gap with reality is large.
SK hynix has two main bonus programs. There is the profit sharing (PS), which pays out with no cap using 10% of annual operating profit as the pool, and the productivity incentive (PI), which pays up to 300% of base salary. Based on an annual salary of 80 million won, the PI is around 12 million won. Ultimately, whether a high bonus is possible depends on the size of the PS.
For total pay to reach 2 billion won this year, even excluding annual salary and PI, about 1.908 billion won in PS would have to be paid per employee. Using an approximate SK hynix headcount of 35,000, a simple calculation shows the PS pool alone would need to be 66.78 trillion won. That would require the company to post 667.8 trillion won in annual operating profit. Even compared with this year's SK hynix operating profit forecasts in the securities industry, the likelihood is low.
◇ "Even campus facilities staff at Samsung get 500 million won in bonuses"? … Possible depending on affiliation
By contrast, a claim that "an employee who feeds ducks" at a Samsung Electronics business site also receives a 500 million won bonus was found to be partly accurate. If the employee is a facilities management staffer affiliated with the Memory Business within the DS Division, which is the semiconductor division, they could be eligible for a special performance bonus.
Under a wage negotiation agreement between labor and management at Samsung Electronics, the DS Division introduced a special performance bonus program funded by 10.5% of business performance. Among them, Memory Business employees are estimated to receive an average of 500 million to 600 million won per person in special performance bonuses.
However, within Samsung Electronics, bonus disparities are large depending on the affiliated business unit. In the DS Division, System LSI and the Foundry Business have continued to post losses, and the special performance bonus per employee is expected to be around 160 million won.
The DX Division, which handles home appliances and mobile, is not eligible for the special performance bonus, and company stock worth about 6 million won is expected to be granted. As a result, controversy continues within Samsung Electronics over bonus gaps by business unit.
◇ AI fake images also spread … Bonuses become an online meme
Fake images related to bonuses are also spreading. Photos showing a banner at an apartment complex entrance reading "Welcome to residents who are employees of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix," and an elementary school certificate labeled "Future SK hynix talent," have been confirmed as fake images generated by Generative AI.
As it became known that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix employees will receive large bonuses, related content appears to have spread as a "meme." With interest growing in the actual size of the bonuses, exaggerated or satirical content is being rapidly reproduced online.
The problem is that the bonus debate is expanding beyond internal issues at some companies into a source of conflict across the industry. In particular, as demands spread for so-called "N% bonuses," which call for paying employees a set percentage of operating profit, a tug-of-war over profit distribution between companies and workers continues.
The government has also joined the discussion. Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) raised the need for the social distribution of excess profits at large corporations, and the presidential office added, "It would be good to have various opportunities for public discussion through forums." The bonus debate sparked by the semiconductor boom is expected to remain a key point of contention between industry and labor for the time being.