"Does the Samsung union chief earn more than Trump?" — The truth behind the salary comparison chart that went viral online

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[Financial News] A graphic image titled "2026 Salaries of Major Figures in South Korea" has been spreading rapidly on Threads and other social networking services and online communities. The image, which appears to have been created using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, ranks the salaries of major political and business figures in South Korea, along with that of the U.S. president.
The most eye-catching detail is the salary listed for Choi Seung-ho, chairman of the Samsung Electronics supra-company union, who ranked first. According to the chart, Choi's annual pay is listed at 900 million won, far above the 600 million won shown for Donald Trump, the President of the United States, who came in second.
By contrast, the salary of Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, was marked as "0 won," creating a stark contrast.
After the material was shared, online users flooded social media with reactions such as, "The union chairman is a higher-ranking job than the U.S. president," and "The contrast between a chairman who takes no pay and a union chairman earning 900 million won is astonishing."
However, economic experts say it is unreasonable to compare these figures at face value. The compensation methods and standards are completely different.
The salaries of U.S. President Donald Trump, Hyun-Song Shin, Governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK), and President Lee Jae Myung were calculated based on their pure statutory base pay, excluding business expenses and special activity allowances. Lee Jae-yong's "0 won" is also largely accurate, as he declared management by responsibility without pay after the 2017 state corruption scandal.
But the 900 million won listed for Choi, who ranked first, is not an officially verified figure. It is an inflated estimate based on Samsung Electronics' unique wage structure.
In companies where performance-based pay accounts for an overwhelming share of compensation, such as Samsung Electronics, the total may have been calculated by assuming the maximum possible amounts for base pay, Over-Performance Incentive (OPI), special performance bonuses, and even union executive allowances that can be received as part of the union dues, within 5% to 10%. In other words, it is a classic statistical illusion that places the "most ideal maximum" and a "fixed base salary" on the same level.
Behind this episode lies Samsung Electronics' ongoing "Tentative 2026 wage agreement." The tentative deal includes the creation of a Special Management Performance Bonus for the semiconductor (DS) division, funded by 10.5% of operating profit, as well as an ESOP plan. Some in the industry are even projecting that employees in the Memory Business could receive up to 600 million won worth of company stock, based on annual pay of 100 million won.
Samsung Electronics' joint bargaining group is currently conducting a vote among union members on the agreement. As of the 26th, turnout had reached 92.4%. Approval appears likely in the DS division, but the DX Division, which handles smartphones and home appliances, is also facing internal friction, including a request for an injunction to suspend voting in protest over the gap in performance-based pay.
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moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter