Samsung Electronics Union to Strike, Lee Jae-yong Apologizes to Customers and Public
Ahead of a potentially economically damaging employee strike, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong publicly apologized today to customers and the general public over the company's wage dispute with its union.
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- 📰 Published: May 16, 2026 at 17:18
- 🔍 Collected: May 16, 2026 at 17:31 (12 min after Published)
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Central News Agency, Seoul, 16th (Comprehensive Foreign Report) — Ahead of a potentially economically damaging employee strike, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong publicly apologized today to customers and the general public over the company's wage dispute with its union.
Reuters reported that this is Lee Jae-yong's first public statement on the labor dispute. He stated, 'I sincerely apologize to our global customers for the anxiety and concern caused by our internal issues.' He also offered a 'deep bow of apology to the public.'
After wage negotiations broke down this week, South Korea's Labor Minister met with Samsung Electronics management today, urging the company to actively resolve the dispute through dialogue.
Government officials, including the Prime Minister and Finance Minister, have expressed that a Samsung strike should be avoided at all costs, warning of potential risks to economic growth, exports, and financial markets.
Negotiations broke down despite government mediation, deepening concerns that the world's largest memory chip manufacturer could face a strike. The company's major customers include NVIDIA, AMD, and Google.
Even after the company offered to resume wage negotiations without preconditions, the union announced yesterday that the planned strike will proceed next week.
In 2020, Lee Jae-yong publicly apologized for high-level executives' involvement in union-busting activities, promising to protect the labor rights of the tech giant. Some former and current executives of the Samsung Group have been investigated or sentenced in related cases. (Translation: Ho Hung-ju) 1150516
Reuters reported that this is Lee Jae-yong's first public statement on the labor dispute. He stated, 'I sincerely apologize to our global customers for the anxiety and concern caused by our internal issues.' He also offered a 'deep bow of apology to the public.'
After wage negotiations broke down this week, South Korea's Labor Minister met with Samsung Electronics management today, urging the company to actively resolve the dispute through dialogue.
Government officials, including the Prime Minister and Finance Minister, have expressed that a Samsung strike should be avoided at all costs, warning of potential risks to economic growth, exports, and financial markets.
Negotiations broke down despite government mediation, deepening concerns that the world's largest memory chip manufacturer could face a strike. The company's major customers include NVIDIA, AMD, and Google.
Even after the company offered to resume wage negotiations without preconditions, the union announced yesterday that the planned strike will proceed next week.
In 2020, Lee Jae-yong publicly apologized for high-level executives' involvement in union-busting activities, promising to protect the labor rights of the tech giant. Some former and current executives of the Samsung Group have been investigated or sentenced in related cases. (Translation: Ho Hung-ju) 1150516