The Korean Federation of Chemical, Textile and Food Industry Workers’ Unions under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and its NHN branch held a news conference on Jan. 22 outside NHN’s headquarters in Seongnam, calling for job security measures linked to the reduction of affiliates. The union urged the company to come up with measures, saying job insecurity is emerging as group-level restructuring proceeds.

According to 자료 released by the union, NHN had 104 affiliates in 2021, which fell to 65 as of 2025. That means about 40 percent of all affiliates were sold or liquidated over the past 5 years.

The union said that despite rising sales and operating profit over the past 4 years, the company is winding down affiliates citing “strengthening fundamentals.” It said recommended resignations have been repeated at NHN Cloud, Payco, WeToo and NHN Edu following business closures and reorganisations, and that employees are also facing job insecurity due to the recent sale of NHN Bugs.

The union also raised issues about the redeployment process. It said that at NHN Edu, which ended its “I Am School” service last year, about 10 percent of those eligible settled into work through transfers.

A union official said requiring existing employees to submit portfolios at the level demanded for new hires, only to fail them, is effectively a process to push them out. It was reported that the company plans to offer 3 months’ pay and propose resignation to those whose placements are not completed by March.

The union also raised allegations that NHN’s headquarters violated a collective agreement. It said the agreement specifies an obligation to make efforts to place employees in work within 3 months, but the company guided employees to a resignation programme about 1 month after a project was halted. The union said NHN should take responsibility for employment issues at affiliates, as it effectively controls NHN Edu by holding an 84 percent stake.

The union presented demands including a halt to restructuring and workforce reductions, group-level measures to ensure employment succession, and improvements to redeployment procedures. Lee Dong-gyo (이동교), head of the NHN union branch, said it had requested that the company form a consultative body on job security and would continue to raise the issue publicly if there is no response.