Samsung strike withdrawal sparks clash: Jung says it shows Lee's leadership, Jang calls it a gang-style tactic

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\r\n[Financial News] The leaders of the ruling and opposition parties offered sharply different views on Samsung Electronics' withdrawal of its general strike. Jung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, praised it as evidence of President Lee Jae-myung's crisis-management ability, while Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, criticized it as a "gang-style" approach.
At a central election committee meeting in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on the 22nd, Jung said, "The smooth settlement between Samsung Electronics' labor and management was a great achievement that fully demonstrated President Lee's risk-management capabilities."
He added, "In a life-or-death crisis that could have caused losses of more than 100 billion won, MOEL Minister Kim Young-hoon personally stepped in and mediated. That is something rarely seen before." He continued, "The deal was reached dramatically just an hour before the strike, and the stock price rose the next day. We overcame not only the semiconductor crisis but also a broader national economic crisis."
By contrast, Jang held a campaign committee meeting at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, the same day. He targeted Kim, who came from the KCTU, and said, "By sending a KCTU minister to force a deal on the union's terms and avoid getting his own hands dirty, Lee used a gang-style tactic to bring the company to its knees."
He also criticized the labor-management agreement, saying, "For the next 10 years, more than 10% of annual operating profit must be paid out as performance bonuses. That leaves no choice but to cut dividends, investment and new hiring. I worry whether semiconductor competitiveness can be maintained." He added, "Large-company unions have all started demanding 'performance pay n%.' That is because they have learned that Lee Jae-myung will ultimately side with the unions."
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uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho, Lee Hae-ram Reporter