Yang Hyangja Ends Hunger Strike After Samsung Electronics Strike Postponed... Jang Donghyuk Says "Thank You for the Difficult Decision"

Yang: "If the Semiconductor Industry Falters, the Nation's Future Is at Risk"
Jang Donghyuk Begins Campaign at Yang's Hunger Strike Site

Yang Hyangja, the People Power Party candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, ended her hunger strike on May 21. She had been on a hunger strike urging a grand labor-management agreement at Samsung Electronics. Jang Donghyuk, Standing Election Countermeasures Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, visited Yang during her hunger strike to begin his official campaign schedule.

At around midnight on this day, Chairman Jang visited the Samsung Electronics campus in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where candidate Yang was carrying out her hunger strike. He stated, "Yang has fought a difficult battle with the sense of urgency that if semiconductors come to a halt, the future of Korea will also come to a halt," and added, "I am grateful for her major decision."

He continued, "I was considering where to start the official campaign today, but I thought it was right to begin together at the site where candidate Yang is risking her life for this cause. Just before I set out, I heard the news that an agreement had been reached on the mediation plan between labor and management, and I was relieved."

Jang Donghyuk, Standing Election Countermeasures Committee Chairman of the People Power Party (front row, left), and Yang Hyangja, the People Power Party candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, are seated side by side. On this day, Chairman Jang started the official election schedule by visiting candidate Yang, who is on a hunger strike urging a grand labor-management agreement at Samsung Electronics. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Chairman Jang also said, "Candidate Yang continued her hunger strike to alert the public to the crisis in the semiconductor industry and the concern over a general strike. Now that we have managed to prevent an extreme strike, I hope she will stop the hunger strike, recover her health, and return to campaigning."

Visibly weakened from her hunger strike, candidate Yang became emotional as she expressed her gratitude to both labor and management. She said, "I thank both the management and the union. I have been speaking out with the belief that the fate of Korea is at stake."

She continued, "I hope the company will treat each and every employee like a hero, and nurture its members as preciously as it nurtured me."

Yang added, "About a week ago, I heard that the wafer input volume would be cut in half, and I realized this was not just a problem for Samsung Electronics, but an issue for the entire Korean semiconductor industry. Based on my 30 years of field experience, I felt a strong sense of crisis that if the semiconductor industry falters, it could affect the nation's future."

Chairman Jang also emphasized, "Semiconductors are an industry as vital as the heart of Gyeonggi Province, and it's disappointing that the ruling party candidates are not playing a visible role at such a critical moment. Semiconductors are the key industry that will be responsible for Gyeonggi's future."

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