Blue House: "Hopes for Resolution Between Samsung Electronics Labor and Management in Post-Mediation... Will Spare No Effort to Support"

"Significant Ripple Effects Expected from Strike... Conflict Must Be Resolved Wisely Through Dialogue"

On Prime Minister Kim Minseok's Mention of 'Emergency Mediation': "Official Government Position"

Samsung Electronics Labor and Management

On the 17th, the Blue House stated regarding the decision by Samsung Electronics labor and management to resume post-mediation at the Central Labor Relations Commission, "Since both sides have agreed once again to resolve issues through dialogue, we will spare no effort to provide all necessary support so that the conflict can be resolved wisely without resorting to a strike." As the Samsung Electronics union has announced a general strike, the government is viewing the post-mediation process as the final channel for dialogue to resolve the labor-management conflict, and is focusing all its efforts on mediation and support to prevent the strike from becoming a reality.

On the 29th, as President Lee Jae-myung commuted to the Blue House, officially marking the start of the Blue House era again after 3 years and 7 months, the phoenix flag was hoisted at the Blue House in Seoul. 2025.12.29 Photo by Cho Yongjun

Kang Yoo-jung, Chief Spokesperson of the Blue House, responded to questions about the Samsung Electronics union strike during a briefing at Chunchugwan, stating, "The Blue House hopes that labor and management at Samsung Electronics will find a solution through dialogue, given the significant ripple effects that a strike could cause."

Chief Spokesperson Kang expressed concerns about the potential economic impact of a strike, citing the significant role Samsung Electronics plays in the Korean economy. She stated, "Samsung Electronics is extremely important to our economy," and added, "Its revenue accounts for 12.5% of Korea's GDP, and 4.5 million Koreans are shareholders in the company." She continued, "It is also a very important company with around 1,700 partner firms."

Regarding Prime Minister Kim Minseok's remarks that all possible measures, including emergency mediation, would be considered if the strike becomes a reality, she said, "What the Prime Minister stated is the official position of the government." However, she refrained from commenting on whether President Lee Jae-myung had issued any separate directives related to the Samsung Electronics labor-management conflict. Chief Spokesperson Kang stated, "What I can share is that, since labor and management have begun post-mediation, we hope the issue will be resolved within the mediation process, and we will provide the utmost support to help achieve a resolution."

The Blue House prioritized finding a compromise in the post-mediation on the 18th over the possibility of invoking emergency mediation rights. Chief Spokesperson Kang said, "The damage expected from a Samsung Electronics labor strike would be extremely significant," and added, "Given the major ripple effects, we hope that dialogue proceeds smoothly." She further stated, "Since post-mediation has resumed, there is still time for dialogue, and the current position of the government and the Blue House is to provide maximum support so that an agreement can be reached through these discussions."

Prime Minister Kim Minseok is delivering a public address regarding the Samsung Electronics strike on the 17th at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier that day, Prime Minister Kim Minseok delivered a public address at the Government Complex Seoul regarding the Samsung Electronics strike, declaring, "The negotiations on the 18th are effectively the last chance to prevent a strike." He also stated that if a situation arises in which the Samsung Electronics strike threatens to inflict significant damage on the national economy, "we will have no choice but to mobilize all available response measures, including emergency mediation."

Labor and management at Samsung Electronics are scheduled to resume post-mediation at the Central Labor Relations Commission in Sejong City on the 18th. The union has announced a general strike lasting 18 days, from the 21st of this month until the 7th of next month. Previously, labor and management held post-mediation sessions mediated by the Central Labor Relations Commission, but were unable to narrow their differences over the calculation and institutionalization of performance bonuses.

The core issue is the source and payment criteria for performance bonuses. The union maintains that a fixed share of semiconductor operating profits should be allocated as the source for performance bonuses and that the upper limit on such bonuses should be abolished. In contrast, management has reportedly proposed maintaining the existing Over-Profit Incentive (OPI) system and offering alternative compensation measures. As both the government and Blue House have repeatedly highlighted the potential economic impact of a strike and called for continued dialogue, the outcome of the post-mediation on the 18th is expected to be the decisive turning point determining whether the general strike goes ahead.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.