The labour union at Naver Z, which operates the metaverse platform Zepeto, will begin a four-hour partial strike on Sept. 9 after wage talks broke down. The union is seeking a 5.3 percent annual salary increase and a labour-management discussion involving Naver Z CEO Kim Chang-wook (김창욱).

The Naver chapter of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Chemical, Fiber and Food Workers' Union said it will hold a partial strike from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. with Naver Z union members taking part. It will be the first strike at Naver Z.

The labour-management conflict emerged during this year's wage talks. The union said it applied to the Gyeonggi Labour Relations Commission for mediation in a labour dispute after the company presented a plan to freeze wages, and mediation was suspended on July 24 after no agreement was reached in two rounds of mediation.

In a subsequent vote on whether to take industrial action, turnout was 88.6 percent and the approval rate was 98 percent, passing the motion. The union previously held two rounds of picketing on July 14 and Aug. 5, and held a rally on Aug. 20 calling for the withdrawal of the wage freeze and a resumption of talks.

The core demands of the strike are the application of a 5.3 percent annual salary increase for 2026, disclosure of related information and a labour-management discussion in which Kim participates directly. The union said 5.3 percent matches the level of wage increases at Naver and Snow.

The strike will proceed with a rally, a march and member training. The rally is expected to include an update on the progress of talks, remarks from members and solidarity remarks.

The union said Naver Z stated ahead of the strike that it is "keeping the door open for dialogue and is ready to engage in sincere talks with the union," but it argued there was no proposal to actually resume negotiations.

Oh Se-yoon (오세윤), head of the Naver chapter, said, "Even when mediation was suspended and during the vote on industrial action, we said a strike would be the last resort and gave the company time to set things right." He said, "The company did not respond with a responsible explanation or to calls for dialogue, and that led to the strike."

The union said it plans to step up collective action if there is no progress in negotiations after the partial strike. It said it will hold a one-day strike on Sept. 23 if the company does not present an acceptable proposal, and it plans to consider a "five-day strike" thereafter.