President Lee: "Corporate Management Rights Should Be Respected as Much as Labor Rights"...Urges Restraint and Coexistence for Samsung Electronics Labor and Management

Three Days Before Planned General Strike, Samsung Electronics Labor and Management Resume Post-Mediation Talks on the 18th

"Excess Is as Bad as Deficiency"—Emphasizing Solidarity and Responsibility Over Conflict

President Lee Jaemyung, seemingly mindful of the ongoing labor-management conflict at Samsung Electronics, delivered a message urging both sides to exercise restraint and seek coexistence, stating that "just as labor rights should be respected, so too should management rights." With only three days remaining until the general strike announced by the Samsung Electronics labor union and as labor and management resume post-mediation at the Central Labor Relations Commission, President Lee emphasized that neither side's rights should be overemphasized at the expense of the other.

Yonhap News Agency

On May 18, President Lee stated on X (formerly Twitter), "In the Republic of Korea, which has adopted a liberal democratic order and a capitalist market economy, labor should be respected just as much as corporations, and management rights should be respected just as much as labor rights." President Lee simultaneously addressed the rights of both labor and capital, saying, "Workers must be able to receive fair compensation for their labor, and shareholders who invest while bearing risks and losses are entitled to a share in corporate profits."

He also mentioned the workers' right to share in corporate profits, which was once included in the Constitution. President Lee remarked, "There was a time when the constitutional law stipulated workers' rights to share in corporate profits." Article 18 of the original Constitution stated that workers in private enterprises operated for profit had the right to share in profits as prescribed by law; however, this clause was deleted during the constitutional amendment process in 1962.

President Lee also noted that fundamental rights may be subject to certain restrictions for the sake of public welfare. He said, "Although all citizens' fundamental rights are guaranteed under the current Constitution, they may be restricted, within the limits that do not infringe upon their essential content, for public welfare and other reasons."

These remarks by President Lee come at a critical juncture in the Samsung Electronics labor-management negotiations. On this day, labor and management at Samsung Electronics are resuming post-mediation at the Central Labor Relations Commission. Previously, the two sides engaged in marathon negotiations under the commission's mediation from May 11 to the early hours of May 13, but failed to narrow their differences over criteria for performance-based bonuses and other issues.

President Lee also indirectly emphasized that it is inappropriate to highlight the rights of either labor or management alone. He said, "Just as there is shade where there is sunlight, and the higher the mountain, the deeper the valley," adding, "Too much is as bad as too little, and when something reaches its extreme, it will inevitably reverse course." This means that excess is as bad as deficiency, and when things reach their peak, they tend to turn in the opposite direction.

President Lee concluded by stating, "It is not the stronger who have more and are happier. A new future for Korea is a society where everyone prospers together through solidarity and shared responsibility."

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