Labor ministry says ′too early′ to speak of using emergency arbitration powers against Samsung strike

▲ Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon arrives at his office at the government complex in Sejong, central South Korea, on May 18, 2026, as Samsung Electronics Co.'s largest labor union held government-led mediation talks with the management for a last-minute breakthrough ahead of the union's planned 18-day strike starting May 21 following their failure to narrow their differences over performance-based bonuses. (Yonhap)

labor ministry-Samsung strike

Labor ministry says 'too early' to speak of using emergency arbitration powers against Samsung strike

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The labor ministry said Wednesday it is "too early" to speak of invoking emergency arbitration powers despite the breakdown of wage negotiations at Samsung Electronics Co. earlier in the day.

Hong Kyung-ui, a ministry spokesperson, made the remark to reporters after the company's largest labor union vowed to go ahead with its planned strike on Thursday due to the breakdown of government-mediated talks with management.

There have been speculations that the government will likely issue an emergency arbitration order to halt a strike and prevent it from causing major harm to the country's economy.

"There is still time left for dialogue between labor and management," Hong said at the government complex in the central administrative city of Sejong when asked about the possibility of the order. "It is still too early to specifically speak of that."

Under South Korean law, the labor minister can issue an emergency arbitration order if a dispute is deemed likely to harm the national economy or seriously disrupt the lives of ordinary people.

Such an order would suspend an industrial action for 30 days while the National Labor Relations Commission conducts mediation and arbitration.

"There is still time left until the strike, and the general principle is to resolve the issue through dialogue between the parties involved," Hong said. "The government will provide maximum support regardless of format until the end so that it can be resolved through free collective bargaining between labor and management."

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon has reportedly canceled his public schedule for the day and was on standby at the Sejong government complex to respond to the situation.

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