'On Hunger Strike,' Yang Hyangja Urges 'Samsung Labor and Management to Make a Decision'... Jang Also Visits

Jang Dong-hyuk: "President Lee and the Democratic Party Must Resolve This"

Yang Hyang-ja, the People Power Party candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province, who has entered her second day of a hunger strike demanding a grand compromise between labor and management at Samsung Electronics, urged on the 19th, "Both labor and management must make a responsible decision in consideration of the national economy."

Yang, a former executive at Samsung Electronics, met with Jang Dong-hyuk, Chairman of the Standing Election Committee of the People Power Party, in front of Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek Campus in Gyeonggi Province on the morning of May 19, and said, "I am here on site with one intention—to protect the ecosystem of Korea’s semiconductor industry and national competitiveness." Yang has been on a hunger strike at this location since the previous day to prevent a general strike resulting from the labor dispute at Samsung Electronics. During their meeting, Jang and Yang exchanged views for about ten minutes regarding the current semiconductor crisis and the ongoing labor-management conflict.

Jang Donghyuk, party leader and Standing Election Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Yang Hyangja, the People Power Party candidate for Governor of Gyeonggi Province, are discussing the semiconductor crisis and labor-management issues at Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus in Gyeonggi Province on the morning of the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Yang explained, "If the production line is disrupted even once due to a strike, both global trust and Korea's semiconductor competitiveness itself could be shaken," adding, "With an urgent sense that this situation must be prevented at all costs, I am continuing my hunger strike." Jang also expressed concern, saying, "If semiconductors stop, Korea stops." He continued, "I hope President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party of Korea, who passed the Yellow Envelope Act, will step forward to resolve these issues quickly."

Meanwhile, Chu Mi-ae, the Democratic Party of Korea’s candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province, has been taking a cautious approach regarding the union strike. On the afternoon of May 19, Chu plans to focus on policy by announcing a joint pledge related to semiconductors and holding a press conference calling for the inclusion of the Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway in the Fifth National Rail Network Plan. She will also attend a seminar hosted by the Korea Foundation for Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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