Samsung bonus ordeal highlights importance of social dialogue, says ILO chief

ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo speaks to the Hankyoreh at Lotte Hotel Seoul on May 22, 2026. (Park Jong-shik/Hankyoreh)

The director-general of the International Labour Organization, the UN’s sole organization in the field of international labor, weighed in on the issue of bonus negotiations at Samsung Electronics, stressing the need to share the profits from improved productivity in industries related to artificial intelligence.He also suggested that the situation at Samsung may be a precursor for a growing global phenomenon of conflict over the distribution of AI-related industry profits.Gilbert F. Houngbo, director-general of the ILO, shared this message emphasizing the importance of social dialogue in an exclusive interview with the Hankyoreh on Friday. The interview came ahead of the fifth Hankyoreh Human and Digital Forum, which is scheduled to take place on June 24 on the theme of “The Future of Work and Learning in the AI Era.”On May 20, Houngbo arrived in Korea to attend a ceremony unveiling Seoul’s plan to establish a “Global AI Hub” in the country. That evening was also when the Samsung Electronics union reached a dramatic compromise an hour ahead of their announced strike, thanks to mediation by Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon.Houngbo said the example of labor, management, and the government coming together to reach a deal was a moment that once again showed “the value of social dialogue.”As a reason for the greater need for social dialogue, he noted that the issue of surplus profit distribution is complex and has many actors involved.He stressed that the Samsung Electronics situation left many questions to be addressed. These included questions about how Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor and cell phone sectors would divide profits, how the contributions of the subcontractors in the company’s supply chain would be recognized, and how profits would be returned to shareholders, who represent around 10% of the Korean public.For this reason, he emphasized that the company’s management and labor union alike should recognize the importance of social dialogue.He commented that rather than being a “brake on innovation,” social dialogue was a way to “make innovation sustainable, trusted and fair.”By Lee Ju-hyun, Hankyoreh Human and Digital Research Institute staff writer; Han Gui-young, director of the Hankyoreh Human and Digital Research InstitutePlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]