People walk past a Samsung Electronics building in Seocho District, southern Seoul, Friday.
Yonhap Han Myung-ae starts work before most people are awake and rarely stops before dark.
As a real estate agent, her commissions are capped by law, so when she learned that Samsung Electronics employees in the memory chip division could pocket bonuses of up to 600 million won ($397,000) this year, the news did not sit well. “They already earn more than most of us just for being at Samsung, now they want even more and are making a scene out of it,” the 58-year-old told The Korea Times, referring to the drawn-out labor negotiations that ended just short of a strike.
Han's sentiment illustrates the mixed reactions of Koreans as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix roll out record bonus packages fueled by an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven semiconductor supercycle.
Read More Samsung agreement expected to trigger other unions' demands for profit sharing Group of Samsung Electronics shareholders vows legal action against tentative wage deal with union No longer just a labor dispute: Samsung strike draws global focus If the tentative wage agreement reached Wednesday between Samsung Electronics and its union is ratified, 10.5 percent of the company's projected 300 trillion won in operating profit this year would fund a special performance bonus pool.
