SK hynix Inc. Bonus Outlook of Up to 1.2 Billion Won per Employee Sparks Debate Over Claims It Should Be Shared With the Public

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\r\n[Financial News] As forecasts emerged that bonuses for SK hynix Inc. employees could exceed 1 billion won per person, controversy has grown online after some users argued that the bonuses should be shared with the public.
On the 18th, an anonymous user on the workplace community Blind, who identified himself as a government official, posted a complaint titled, "Why does only SK hynix receive bonuses?" The writer argued that because SK hynix had received public support through Korea Development Bank (KDB) and others during a management crisis in the past, the company should now share the fruits of that recovery with the public.
Another user also said, "This is not the result of a large company acting alone, but the outcome created together by the public," and suggested, "Let’s pay the bonuses in local currency to help stimulate domestic consumption."
The remarks appear to have been fueled by expectations that SK hynix will post record-high earnings and pay out massive bonuses. The company recently reached a labor-management agreement to use 10% of operating profit as the bonus pool and abolished the previous cap. If operating profit this year reaches about 25 trillion won, the total bonus payout next year is estimated at around 2.5 trillion won.
Based on a simple calculation for its roughly 35,000 employees, that would amount to an average of about 70 million won per person. Macquarie Securities also projected that operating profit could rise to as much as 44.7 trillion won next year, estimating that the average bonus per employee could reach 1.29 billion won.
Online, however, criticism of the so-called "universal payout" idea was more common. Users responded with comments such as, "If you want to share the rewards, become a shareholder or get hired," and "Should public servants also share their salaries with the public?"
Market observers point out that KDB's support in the past was not a free subsidy, but rather financial assistance and creditor-led management. Hynix later normalized its operations through restructuring and debt repayment. It now operates independently as a private company.
They also note that corporate profits are already returned to the state through corporate taxes and employees' income taxes, making claims that bonuses should be distributed more broadly across society unrealistic.
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hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter