President piles pressure on Samsung unions ahead of strike

President Lee Jae Myung said Monday that management rights should be respected as much as labor rights, in a social media post ahead of a massive strike planned by Samsung Electronics’ labor union this week. Lee acknowledged workers' right to share in corporate profits but noted it could be restricted in the interest of "fundamental constitutional rights and public welfare." “In the Republic of Korea, which embraces the liberal democratic basic order and a capitalist market economy, labor should be respected as much as business and management rights should be respected just as labor rights are,” the president wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Lee’s posts were made as Samsung Electronics and its labor union resumed government-led mediation talks Monday, in what is seen as a last-ditch effort to prevent an 18-day strike scheduled to begin Thursday. The union has repeatedly demanded that the company allocate 15 percent of operating profit to employees as performance-based bonuses and also remove the payout cap. Management has so far declined to accept the proposal. If the strike goes ahe