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Lee flags risks of excessive union demands amid Samsung labor dispute
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By
Jung Da-hyun
Published
Apr 30, 2026 4:25 pm
KST
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday called for greater responsibility from both labor and management, urging employers to treat workers as partners while pressing unions to uphold accountability.
He made the remarks during a senior aides’ meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, warning that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping workplaces and industries and stressing that meeting the challenge will require cooperation and shared growth.
The comments are widely seen as a veiled criticism of a looming labor dispute at Samsung Electronics, where the union is demanding the removal of a cap on performance-based bonuses. It is seeking payouts of up to 15 percent of operating profit without a ceiling and has warned of a general strike from May 21 to June 7.
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Lee also took aim at what he described as excessive or unjustified demands by some organized labor groups.
“I hope workers will also show solidarity among themselves,” he said, warning that “if some organized labor groups pursue only their own interests with excessive or unjustified demands and draw public criticism, it could harm not only their own unions but other workers as well.”
He reiterated that both labor and management must act with a broader sense of responsibility.
“We must move beyond a ‘looking out only for oneself’ mindset and work toward a society where all workers and citizens can thrive together,” he said, adding that employers should adopt the same approach toward workers.
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