Samsung Electronics chief negotiator Vice President Kim Hyung-ro (left photo) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions Samsung Electronics Branch Chairman Choi Seung-ho (right photo) are seen leaving the negotiation site after the second post-mediation talks for the 2026 wage agreement broke down early on May 13th at the Central Labor Relations Commission in the Government Complex Sejong, Sejong City. [Yonhap News]

The chairman of the Samsung Electronics union is facing controversy for recording and disclosing the content of post-mediation talks held with the Central Labor Relations Commission (CLRC) to union members and the media.

The meetings were held in private, and it remains unconfirmed whether the opposing mediator agreed to the recording.

According to industry sources on the 15th, Choi Seung-ho, chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions Samsung Electronics Branch (hereinafter referred to as the Federation of Korean Trade Unions), shared an audio file he recorded during a private meeting with the CLRC in an anonymous communication channel.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions engaged in post-mediation talks with the company under the mediation of the CLRC on the 11th and 12th, and in the process, recorded conversations with CLRC officials and shared them with union members.

Chairman Choi also provided the same audio file and transcript to media reporters on the same day.

The audio file contains a conversation between the mediator, who was trying to narrow the gap in opinions between labor and management, and Chairman Choi around 1:30 PM on the 12th.

In the recording, Chairman Choi pointed out that Kim Hyung-ro, the company's chief negotiator, repeatedly stated that Samsung Electronics' operating profit for the year would be 200 trillion won, and questioned, "The projected annual operating profit for this year is 300 trillion won. Is it normal for him to say it might not reach 200 trillion won right now?"

He further claimed, "Vice President Kim doesn't know anything about semiconductors and is lying about the scale of the performance."

The CLRC mediator attempted to appease Chairman Choi, stating that they would look for areas where the gap in opinions between labor and management could be narrowed to formulate a mediation proposal.

However, Chairman Choi expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, "As you know, we submitted our mediation proposal, so why is the company bringing up discussions from the intensive negotiation period?"

He then added, "I have no intention of talking with the company any further, so please provide the mediation proposal."

Given that the CLRC conducts post-mediation meetings in private, the disclosure of the recording is being evaluated as potentially undermining the trust of the mediation parties.

It also remains unconfirmed whether the opposing mediator consented to the recording. If the recording was made and disclosed without consent, it could escalate into a controversy over ethics.

Samsung Electronics labor and management begin post-mediation talks [Yonhap News Archive Photo]

The post-mediation talks continued past midnight on the second day, into the early morning of the 13th, but were called off when the union declared the mediation had broken down.

The union cited their reasons for the breakdown as the fact that their consistent demands for the abolition, transparency, and institutionalization of performance-based pay ceilings were not met at all and had instead regressed.