Auto unions demand job security in AI transition

Union leaders at Korea’s carmakers under the Korean Metal Workers’ Union demand a concrete government plan to protect workers at a rally near Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Korean Metal Workers’ Union

Union leaders at Korea’s carmakers are raising concerns about what companies and the government hail as a next-generation technology push, saying the artificial intelligence (AI) transition is racing ahead without a plan to protect workers' jobs.

Speaking at a press conference near Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul Thursday, the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) and leaders of the unions of Hyundai, Kia and GM Korea demanded the creation of a government-industry consultative body on “supply chain and job protection,” warning that the rapid push for humanoid robots and unmanned factories risks turning the AI transition into a sweeping restructuring program rather than a shared productivity gain.

“Earlier this year, Hyundai Motor announced that it would deploy a physical AI robot called Atlas for parts sequencing work starting in 2028 and for vehicle assembly work in 2030, replacing human labor and operating an unmanned factory that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even with the lights off,” said Lee Jong-cheol, head of the KMWU’s Hyundai Motor branch.

“In Hyundai’s vision of the future, it appears there is room only for robots and automation, with no regard for the people they would replace.”

He cited union contract provisions requiring prior consultation on automation and pledged to use every negotiating channel to ensure that “any AI deployment will be discussed on the basis of job security and retirement guarantees.”

Lee stressed that the impact will be felt most intensely by thousands of small and medium-sized suppliers that make up the lower tiers of Korean carmakers' supply chains. Many of these roughly 9,000 parts plants, he noted, lack the bargaining power or institutional channels to demand retraining, redeployment or income protection when production lines are automated. The issue “cannot be handled at the Hyundai level alone” and requires a collective response led by the KMWU, he added.

GM Korea union leader Ahn Kyu-baek said the AI transition is looming as a “credible threat to jobs.”

“We need institutional safeguards to prevent unilateral restructuring and withdrawal by foreign-owned capital, as well as job protection measures for the entire supply chain here, extending beyond finished carmakers to parts suppliers,” he said.

Kia union leader Kang Sung-ho said AI technologies should be used to enhance — not harm — the lives of workers, arguing they could play a key role in shortening working hours and easing the impact of Korea’s labor shortages.

In a joint statement, the leaders urged the Lee Jae Myung administration to quickly set up a council of government officials, carmakers and workers to plan a “just industrial transition.” They said this body should review the impact of major AI projects on employment, negotiate retraining and redeployment and set clear rules on employment and wage protections.

Asked whether the KMWU plans to form more industry-specific consultative bodies, a union official said the auto sector should be only the starting point. The union, he said, hopes to see similar tripartite councils take shape in other AI-exposed sectors, such as shipping and steel.

Concerns over AI-driven job displacement have grown globally over the past year as the technology spreads rapidly across offices, factories and service industries.

In comments on Jan. 29, the Korean president told his secretaries that unions opposing the introduction of humanoid robots on production lines “cannot avoid a big cart that is already rolling toward us,” adding that “if a new world is coming anyway, we should prepare and adapt in advance.”