Samsung Memory Bonus 600% vs. Foundry 100% — The Gap Is Fueling a Strike

Reuters obtained internal Samsung Electronics wage negotiation meeting minutes. Samsung proposed a bonus of around 600% of annual salary for its memory division, while offering 50–100% for its non-memory units — System LSI and Foundry.

Converted to won amounts, the gap becomes stark. The union claims memory division employees receive approximately ₩500M (~$360K) in bonuses, while foundry workers receive approximately ₩80M (~$57K) — a more than sixfold gap within the same company, in the same period.

A Structure Built by a Performance Gap

The bonus difference reflects a performance difference. Surging HBM-driven AI semiconductor demand has improved memory division results, while System LSI and Foundry continue to post multi-trillion-won losses. From the company's perspective, bonuses tied to divisional performance are logical.

But foundry employees read the situation differently. They argue that foundry losses stem from management strategy and market competition with TSMC — not from individual performance. Their pushback: frontline workers are absorbing the cost of outcomes they didn't determine, through bonus cuts.

What the Union Is Demanding

The union's primary objection is less about the bonus gap itself and more about system opacity. It argues that bonus calculation criteria are unclear and that effective caps have been imposed. Demands include eliminating the bonus ceiling and making the calculation system transparent. The union has announced a general strike starting on the 21st.

JPMorgan: "Operating Income Could Fall Up to ₩31T (~$22B) If Strike Materializes"

JPMorgan modeled a scenario in which the general strike fully materializes. Estimated operating income reduction: up to ₩31 trillion (~$22B) — a substantial share of Samsung's annual operating income estimate. If foundry production lines are disrupted, customer defections and delivery delays could cascade.

Industry observers are already raising the possibility of foundry talent attrition. Foundry competitiveness is heavily reliant on skilled workers. If the bonus gap persists, the pace at which core talent migrates to competitors like TSMC and SK Hynix could accelerate.