Lee flags risks of excessive union demands amid Samsung labor dispute

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday took direct aim at unions making excessive demands, in remarks widely seen as a warning to Samsung Electronics workers threatening to go on strike over a cap to bonus payouts.

Speaking at a senior aides' meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee called for greater responsibility from both labor and management, cautioning unions against pursuing narrow self-interest while urging employers to treat workers as genuine partners.

“I hope workers will also show solidarity among themselves,” Lee said during a senior aides’ meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, warning that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping workplaces and industries and stressing that meeting the challenge will require cooperation and shared growth.

“If some organized labor groups pursue only their own interests with excessive or unjustified demands and draw public criticism, it could harm not only their own unions but other workers as well.”

He reiterated that employers must show the same broader sense of accountability.

“We must move beyond a ‘looking out only for oneself’ mindset and work toward a society where all workers and citizens can thrive together,” he said, adding that employers should adopt the same approach toward workers.

The comments are widely seen as a veiled criticism of a looming labor dispute at Samsung Electronics, where unions are demanding the removal of a cap on performance-based bonuses. They seek payouts of up to 15 percent of operating profit without a ceiling and threatened to go on strike from May 21 to June 7.