Samsung Electronics\' tentative 2026 wage agreement was approved in a union ballot on May 27, with 73.7 percent in favour and 95.5 percent turnout, effectively easing fears of a general strike. The joint bargaining body said 46,142 members voted in favour out of 62,616 participants from 65,593 eligible members. The deal introduces a special management performance bonus for the DS division, paid entirely in company shares, but has triggered opposition over compensation gaps and possible legal challenges by unions and shareholder groups.

Samsung Electronics union and management will return on May 18 to a second post-mediation session at the National Labor Relations Commission, days before a planned strike. Chairman Lee Jae-yong apologised to customers worldwide and the public, calling employees and the union “one family” and saying he would take responsibility. The company changed its lead negotiator, while the union agreed the outgoing negotiator could attend without speaking. Talks focus on performance bonuses and whether to institutionalise the scheme.