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Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee arrives at Gimpo Airport on May 16 after returning from an overseas business trip. Photo: Won Jong-hwan
Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee apologized to the South Korean public and customers worldwide, saying the company’s internal problems had caused anxiety and eroded trust. He also urged the labor union to resolve the conflict quickly, saying the company must move forward in one direction.
Lee made the remarks to reporters on May 16 after returning from an overseas business trip via the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center.
“I sincerely apologize to the people of Korea and to customers around the world for causing anxiety and damaging trust because of problems inside the company,” Lee said.
He also said he bowed his head in apology to the Korean public, who have supported, loved and criticized Samsung.
Addressing employees, Lee said Samsung’s members were “one body” and “one family,” and that now was the time to move wisely in one direction.
“I will take the brunt of the fierce wind and rain, and I will take all the blame,” he said. “We will do our best so that we can once again take pride in Samsung’s strength.”
He also thanked the government and related officials for working to resolve the dispute, and again apologized to customers and the public for causing concern.
Lee is reported to have adjusted part of his travel schedule and returned to South Korea on May 16. His remarks came as Samsung Electronics’ labor dispute heads toward an unprecedented rupture.
Since December 2025, Samsung Electronics’ union has demanded that 15% of operating profit be formally earmarked for performance bonuses and that the cap on those bonuses be scrapped. Management has opposed the proposal, saying a rigid compensation system unrelated to business results could weaken funds available for future investment.
Even after the National Labor Relations Commission halted mediation in March, the two sides failed to narrow their differences. They returned to the table for post-mediation talks on May 11 after government intervention, but those negotiations also broke down.
Executives in Samsung’s Device Solutions, or DS, semiconductor division visited the union and appealed for talks to resume, five days before a planned general strike on May 21.
The union, however, has not retreated. In a meeting with a former vice chairman, union chief Choi said he had no trust in management and that talks would be possible only if Samsung first put in place measures to formalize greater transparency in bonuses and abolish the cap.
Choi said on May 16 that negotiations could take place at any time after the general strike ends on June 7. The remarks reaffirmed that the union does not intend to withdraw its planned 18-day walkout without formal changes to the bonus system.
The government is also closely monitoring the possibility of a full-scale strike and has begun emergency mediation efforts.
According to industry officials, Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon met Samsung Electronics management on May 16 to mediate the labor dispute. He had earlier met the union to hear its demands.
The union has demanded that Samsung replace Kim Hyung-ro, a Samsung Electronics vice president who serves as the company’s chief bargaining representative, and show a substantive shift in its position before talks can resume. Kim is reported to have relayed those demands in his meeting with management.
Lee Kyu-yeon, senior presidential secretary for public communication at the presidential office, said at a May 15 briefing that Samsung Electronics plays an enormous role in the national economy and that he hoped a strike could be avoided.
Asked whether the government would invoke emergency arbitration if the strike goes ahead, Lee said it was too early to make such a decision.
Won Jong-hwan, Hankyung reporter won0403@hankyung.com
Kang Hae-ryeong, Hankyung reporter hr.kang@hankyung.com