Samsung Electronics union members hold union flags during a protest outside the company's semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, 23 April 2026. Photo by HAN MYUNG-GU / EPA
May 19 (Asia Today) -- Small business owners gathered outside Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek semiconductor campus on Monday to urge the company's labor union to withdraw plans for a large-scale strike, warning that a production stoppage could severely damage surrounding local economies.
The protest was organized by Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise, which said the strike threat was fueling frustration among struggling merchants and contractors already burdened by rising costs and weak consumer demand.
"We are taking out loans to pay employee salaries and rent while facing the risk of bankruptcy," federation Chairman Song Chi-young said during a news conference. "Meanwhile, a powerful union enjoying some of the country's highest wages and benefits is threatening to strike over bonuses. It leaves small business owners feeling deep deprivation and despair."
The federation warned that disruptions to semiconductor production could trigger broader economic fallout across South Korea's supplier network and surrounding commercial districts.
