The head of Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS) largest labor union has reportedly left for an extended vacation in Southeast Asia, even as the company faces the threat of the largest general strike in its history. After pushing management and the national economy to the brink with what he called an "unprecedented strike," the union chief is himself enjoying a getaway in the middle of the crisis. Criticism is mounting both inside and outside the company over what many describe as "moral hazard" among union leadership.
According to industry sources on the 28th, the chairman of the Samsung Electronics branch of the Cho Gi-eop Union (Transcending Corporate Union) recently departed for a week-long vacation in Southeast Asia. The Cho Gi-eop Union, with approximately 74,000 members, is currently the only majority union at Samsung Electronics.
At a rally organized by the union on the 23rd of this month, roughly 40,000 members gathered according to police estimates, demonstrating the union's strength. Chairman Choi, who took the podium at the time, threatened the national economy by declaring, "An 18-day strike could inflict up to 30 trillion won in losses."
The union is currently demanding approximately 45 trillion won in performance bonuses from management, equivalent to about 15 percent of annual operating profit. This amounts to a "cash bonanza" of roughly 600 million won per employee based on the domestic workforce of the semiconductor division — an astronomical figure that far exceeds the 37.7 trillion won Samsung Electronics spent on total research and development last year.
Should the strike materialize, the fallout would be difficult to gauge. Semiconductor production lines, once halted, take weeks to restart and could deal a critical blow to global supply chains. Even Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, lamented, "Once semiconductors fall behind, recovery takes a long time," adding, "A strike in such a grave situation is unimaginable."
The internal mood is also unsettled. On Samsung Electronics' anonymous workplace community, reactions poured in expressing dismay: "After wrapping up the rally, the chairman should be thoroughly preparing for the strike and holding the center — a long vacation is unbelievable," and "Shouldn't he either finish the strike or reach a conclusion with the company before leaving?"
Adding fuel to accusations of hypocrisy, Chairman Choi posted a statement on the union's website on the 27th while still on vacation. In the post, he pressured non-participating members by stating, "If you obstruct your colleagues' dedication even in the coming general strike, it will be difficult to regard you as colleagues any longer." Having previously sparked a so-called "blacklist intimidation" controversy by warning that "non-strikers will be placed on a list and face disadvantages," Choi is now staying at a Southeast Asian beach while demanding that frontline employees alone bear the burden of struggle and sacrifice.
One labor expert pointed out, "The justification for a struggle comes from a leader's leading by example. Who would sympathize with someone who shakes the foundations of a national industry while prioritizing his own leisure?" Meanwhile, the chairman of the Samsung Biologics union is also reported to have taken vacation around the same time, drawing criticism that Samsung's union leadership has turned its back on the crisis to enjoy "joint vacations."
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