Kim Min-seok: "We Will Explore All Measures, Including Emergency Mediation" ... Lee Jae-yong: "We Are Family ... Now Is the Time to Pull Together" [Samsung Electronics Strike D-3]

The government said it would invoke emergency mediation if a Samsung Electronics strike is expected to cause severe damage to the national economy. With three days left before the planned general strike at Samsung Electronics, the government urged labor and management to reach a swift compromise, citing the possibility of emergency mediation ahead of the second post-dispute adjustment session set to resume on the 18th. Before that, Chairman Lee Jae-yong delivered a public apology and a message calling for labor-management harmony.
In a public statement on the Samsung Electronics strike delivered at Government Complex Seoul on the 17th, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said, "I once again ask both labor and management to work together to find a path of mutual growth for the future of the Republic of Korea's economy and businesses." He added, "If a situation arises in which a strike is expected to cause severe damage to the national economy, the government has no choice but to explore all possible response measures, including emergency mediation, to protect the national economy." He went on to say, "I sincerely welcome the agreement by Samsung Electronics labor and management to resume talks on the 18th." He stressed, "The talks on the 18th are, in effect, the last chance to prevent a strike. Both sides must never take lightly the weight of this moment."
Kim also noted, "Any disruption to semiconductor production at Samsung Electronics would go beyond losses for a single company. It would leave deep scars across the national economy, including lower exports, instability in financial markets, worsening business conditions and employment at numerous partner firms, and a slowdown in domestic investment." He added, "If this strike becomes a reality, the economic losses we will face will be beyond imagination."
Kim said in closing, "The government will actively support dialogue between labor and management until the very end so that a strike does not occur under any circumstances." He added, "Together with the entire public, I earnestly ask both sides to produce results in tomorrow's post-dispute adjustment, which is effectively the last chance."
Meanwhile, Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics changed his overseas business schedule and returned to the country on the 16th. Along with a public apology, he told the union, "We are one body, one family," and said, "Now is the time to wisely pull together and move in one direction." It was the first time since taking office in October 2022 that he had issued a public apology in a public setting. After his first public apology since taking office, he also directly referred to the union as the "Samsung family," signaling a message of unity. The company is therefore seen as leaning toward a negotiated settlement rather than a hardline response.
The union at Samsung Electronics is also taking a more cautious stance in response to Lee's apology and the government's firm position. Choi Seung-ho, chair of the Samsung Electronics Branch of the Supra-Enterprise Labor Union, said on the day, "I have nothing to say about emergency mediation," but added, "We will faithfully take part in the post-dispute adjustment so that labor and management can reach harmony."
syj@fnnews.com Seo Young-joon, Cho Eun-hyo, Im Su-bin Reporter