Labor board offers mediation plan in Samsung Electronics dispute

May 20, 2026, 08:09 am

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Samsung Electronics management and labor representatives said they would continue post-mediation talks through May 20, one day before the union’s planned general strike. The photo shows the mediation room at the National Labor Relations Commission inside the Government Complex Sejong. /Lee Ji-sun

Samsung Electronics management and labor representatives failed to reach a final agreement on key issues, prompting South Korea’s National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) to present a mediation proposal while extending negotiations for another day.

The NLRC announced on May 20 that a third round of post-mediation talks would resume at 10 a.m. after the second round, which began on May 18, continued late into the night without a resolution.

The talks had originally been scheduled to end at 7 p.m. on May 19 but stretched past midnight as both sides remained divided over major demands.

According to officials, NLRC Chair Park Soo-geun personally presented a mediation proposal after the company spent considerable time reviewing a compromise draft created through negotiations between labor and management.

“One issue remains unresolved. The employer side said it would finalize its position and return,” Park told reporters.

Samsung management is expected to review both the tentative agreement and the labor board’s proposal before entering the third round of talks.

The union has demanded that performance bonus standards be formally written into the collective bargaining agreement and that the share of operating profit allocated for bonuses be expanded to 15%.

Management, however, has insisted on maintaining a performance-based compensation system and differentiated rewards by business division.

The standoff is continuing until just one day before the union’s planned general strike on May 21. Still, the labor board said it expected mediation efforts to conclude within the morning, partly because the union would need time to conduct an internal vote if a settlement is reached.

The South Korean government is also closely monitoring the situation amid concerns over the broader economic impact of a strike at Samsung Electronics.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan told lawmakers that “the entire nation is concerned about the repercussions of a Samsung Electronics strike.”

Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung emphasized the importance of labor-management cooperation, while Prime Minister Kim Min-seok mentioned the possible use of emergency arbitration measures.

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