With Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS) labor union's planned general strike just one week away, Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon urged both sides to engage in dialogue, saying "no company exists without workers, and no union is founded to bankrupt a company."
Minister Kim posted a message titled "Democracy means believing in the power of dialogue" on his social media account X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday.
"In my experience, negotiation has been as difficult as a strike itself," he wrote. "If a strike is not an end in itself, it must ultimately be resolved through negotiation." He attached hashtags including "#LetsLiveTogether" and "#DialogueIsNeeded."
The post is interpreted as reinforcing the government's emphasis on resolution through dialogue rather than forced intervention, amid growing speculation over the possible invocation of emergency mediation powers in connection with the recent labor-management conflict at Samsung Electronics.
Emergency mediation is a power granted to the Minister of Employment and Labor under the Labor Union Act, allowing the suspension of strikes and referral to mediation procedures when large-scale industrial actions threaten to cause serious harm to the national economy or public welfare.
However, since the measure restricts workers' right to industrial action, it has rarely been invoked. It has been used only four times to date: the Korea Shipbuilding Corporation strike in 1969, the Hyundai Motor strike in 1993, the Asiana Airlines pilots' strike in 2005, and the Korean Air pilots' strike the same year.
Minister Kim also drew a line against the possible invocation of emergency mediation powers when he appeared on the YouTube channel "Jang Yoon-sun's Reporting Convenience Store" the previous day, saying, "It is deeply regrettable that a final agreement has not been reached" and "this must be resolved through dialogue."
Meanwhile, the National Labor Relations Commission officially proposed to both sides on Tuesday to hold a second post-mediation session on Thursday. Samsung Electronics also sent an official letter to the union requesting a resumption of negotiations, stating, "We propose that labor and management engage in direct dialogue."
However, the union drew a line against further talks after officially requesting the termination of post-mediation at around 2:50 a.m. on Monday. In response to the dialogue resumption requests from the labor commission and management on Tuesday, the union said, "There are no negotiation plans at this time," while leaving open a conditional possibility by adding, "There is room for dialogue if there are agenda items such as transparency in performance bonuses and the institutionalization of abolishing the cap."
