labor union Archives | Be Korea-savvy
Strikes Escalate at Korea’s Auto and Shipbuilding Giants Amid Wage Standoffs

Strikes Escalate at Korea’s Auto and Shipbuilding Giants Amid Wage Standoffs

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s flagship carmakers and shipbuilders are facing waves of strikes as labor negotiations falter, highlighting rising tensions over wages, retirement policies and corporate restructuring at a time of global economic uncertainty. At Hyundai Motor, the company’s union staged its first walkout in seven years, launching a series of partial [...]

Extreme Heat Puts South Korean Port Workers at Risk as Temperatures Soar

Extreme Heat Puts South Korean Port Workers at Risk as Temperatures Soar

BUSAN, July 5 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea grapples with an early and intense heatwave, dock workers at Busan’s Sinseondae Terminal—one of the busiest transshipment hubs in the world—are enduring punishing conditions with little reprieve, raising concerns over labor safety in the nation’s critical shipping industry. On July 4, with heat advisories in effect [...]

Coupang Workers Launch New Integrated Labor Union

Coupang Workers Launch New Integrated Labor Union

SEOUL, June 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Workers of e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. have launched a new integrated labor union to demand better wages and improved working conditions, the union said Tuesday. Until now, Coupang had two separate labor unions — one representing workers in its logistics affiliate, Coupang Fulfillment Service, and the other for employees [...]

Labor Strife Escalates at Naver and Kakao as AI Push Meets Worker Resistance

Labor Strife Escalates at Naver and Kakao as AI Push Meets Worker Resistance

SEOUL, June 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Labor tensions are intensifying at South Korea’s top platform companies as unions at Naver and Kakao step up protests, raising fresh questions about corporate governance and workforce management in the country’s fast-evolving tech sector. According to the ICT industry on Sunday, Naver’s union, part of the Korean Federation of [...]

KB Kookmin Bank Faces Potential Strike Over Bonus Dispute

KB Kookmin Bank Faces Potential Strike Over Bonus Dispute

SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — KB Kookmin Bank’s labor union has filed for dispute mediation with the National Labor Relations Commission, demanding a performance bonus equivalent to 300% of base salary and an additional 10 million won in special incentives. If mediation fails, this could lead to the bank’s first general strike since 2019. [...]

Unionized Workers of State-run Bank to Stage Strike over Wage Deal

Unionized Workers of State-run Bank to Stage Strike over Wage Deal

SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Unionized workers of the state-run Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) have voted to stage a general strike later this month over failed wage negotiations with the management, union officials said Friday. More than 80 percent of the unionized workers at the policy lender voted Thursday to stage a general [...]

South Korea’s Supreme Court Rules Designated Drivers Eligible for Union Membership

South Korea’s Supreme Court Rules Designated Drivers Eligible for Union Membership

SEOUL, Oct. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – In a landmark decision, South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that designated drivers can be classified as workers under the country’s labor union law, potentially opening the door for collective bargaining rights based on their employment status.  The ruling, handed down on September 27, marks the first time the nation’s [...]

Unionized Workers of Renault Korea Begin Full-scale Strike over Wage Dispute

Unionized Workers of Renault Korea Begin Full-scale Strike over Wage Dispute

SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Unionized workers of Renault Korea Motors Co., the South Korean unit of French auto group Renault S.A., began a full-scale strike Friday, as little progress was made in wage talks, company officials said. The union of Renault Korea has been on a partial strike since Tuesday over the wage [...]