Samsung Electronics Labor Talks Resume with South Korean Labor Minister's Personal Involvement

(CNA, Seoul, 20th, by reporter Yang Chi-fang) Labor and management at South Korea's Samsung Electronics saw negotiations break down again at noon today, with the union set to proceed with a strike planned for tomorrow. To prevent the strike crisis, Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon is personally acting as a mediator, hoping to facilitate dialogue and promote an agreement at the last minute. From the 18th until this morning, both sides at Samsung Electronics participated in the second post-adjustment meeting hosted by the Central Labor Relations Commission. After the commission proposed a compromise adjustment, the union agreed, but the management did not state its acceptance, leading to the declaration of a breakdown in negotiations. Subsequently, the Samsung Electronics union stated it would legally launch a full-scale strike tomorrow as planned, adding, "Even during the strike, we will not stop striving to reach an agreement." The failure of negotiations a day before the planned strike has heightened concerns across South Korea about the losses a full-scale strike at Samsung Electronics could cause. Consequently, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced earlier that labor-management negotiations for Samsung Electronics, with Minister Kim Young-hoon's personal participation in coordination, would be held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Employment and Labor Office starting at 4 p.m. Korea time. The ministry stated, "This negotiation is not a post-agreement procedure of the Central Labor Relations Commission, but a negotiation between the labor and management parties, with the Minister of Labor playing a supportive role." Regarding the potential strike by the Samsung Electronics union starting tomorrow, the Blue House also issued a statement expressing deep regret over the breakdown of the post-adjustment coordination by the Central Labor Relations Commission. Blue House Chief Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jeong noted, "Even before the final deadline, we hope that both labor and management will consider the potential impact on the South Korean economy and make their utmost efforts to reach an agreement until the very last moment."