Journalist
Kim Hee-su, Han Jun-gu
khs@ajupress.com
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Samsung labor vote on wage deal tops 80% on second day amid bonus split SEOUL, May 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics union members voted for a second day on a tentative 2026 wage deal, with turnout exceeding 80 percent. According to industry sources, as of 6:40 p.m. Saturday, 46,185 of 57,290 eligible voters at the SGUU, Samsung Electronics’ largest union, had cast ballots, bringing turnout to 80.62 percent. At the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), the second-largest union, 6,502 of 8,187 eligible voters had participated as of the same time, recording turnout of 79.42 percent. The combined turnout for the two unions stood at 80.47 percent. The agreement is expected to pass, but a widening bonus gap between business divisions has fueled a rejection campaign among DX employees, who work on smartphones, home appliances and TVs. Voting began at 2:12 p.m. Friday and will run until 10 a.m. May 27. The deal will be finalized if more than half of eligible union members take part and a majority of those voting approve it. If support falls short of a majority, the agreement will be rejected and labor and management will have to return to the negotiating table. The tentative deal, reached May 20, includes an average wage increase of 6.2 percent, a new housing loan program of up to 500 million won ($390,000) and a special bonus for semiconductor employees funded by 10.5 percent of the division’s business performance. Under the agreement, employees in the Device Solutions (DS) division could receive between about 210 million won and 600 million won in bonuses before tax, based on an annual salary of 100 million won. Including the new semiconductor special bonus and the existing Overall Performance Incentive (OPI), employees in the memory business could receive up to 600 million won, while those in non-memory units such as System LSI and foundry could receive about 210 million won. By contrast, DX employees are expected to receive only around 6 million won worth of treasury shares as a bonus, as the division is widely expected to miss out on OPI due to weak earnings this year. The union with the largest membership is the Samsung Electronics branch of the Samsung Group United Union (SGUU), with 70,850 members, followed by the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) with 19,053 members and the Samsung Electronics Labor Union 'Donghaeng' with 12,298 members. The total membership stands at 102,298, including overlapping members. By division, DS has about 77,300 employees, outnumbering DX’s roughly 51,700. Among union members eligible to vote, 57,290 belong to the SGUU and 8,176 to the NSEU, a structure seen as favorable to passage. But opposition is growing among DX employees, as the expected bonus gap between divisions could reach nearly tenfold. Lee Ho-seok, head of the Suwon branch of the National Samsung Electronics Union, held a press conference with Donghaeng outside Samsung Electronics’ Suwon campus in Gyeonggi Province and said DX employees had officially launched a campaign to reject the deal. “We will do our best to ensure the deal is rejected by joining forces not only with DX employees but also with semiconductor employees outside the memory business,” Lee said. On May 21, DX employees joined the NSEU and Donghaeng in large numbers. Donghaeng’s membership jumped from around 2,600 to about 12,300 as of Friday morning, while the NSEU’s membership rose by roughly 3,000 from about 16,000 on May 20 to about 19,000 the following day. The SGUU told Donghaeng on Saturday that Donghaeng members would be excluded from the vote because the tentative deal was signed on May 20 after Donghaeng had left the joint bargaining group. It said eligible voters would be limited to SGUU and NSEU members listed as of 2 p.m. May 21. Donghaeng criticized the move as a reversal intended to help pass the deal, saying the SGUU had previously told unions by email that it would respect all unions’ voting rights. Donghaeng said it would proceed with its own vote regardless of the SGUU’s decision to exclude its members. Choi Seung-ho, head of the SGUU, said that if the deal is rejected, he would delegate the remaining 2026 negotiations to other union leaders and hold a vote of confidence on his leadership. If that happens, Samsung Electronics could once again face the possibility of a strike. 2026-05-23 09:48:43 -
From timid boy to war hero: India's wartime doctor honored in Korea SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - At the unveiling of a new memorial near the heavily fortified border with North Korea, Kalpana Prasad, an Indian woman in her 40s and the grand-niece of Lt. Col. A.G. Rangaraj, recalled how her older family members spoke about their brother, who had served on the frontline during the Korean War. “His siblings rushed to tell their mother, but she refused to believe it because she still remembered him as a shy boy who was afraid to walk alone in the dark,” she said. “But somehow, that timid boy ended up jumping out of airplanes.” The timid boy was Lt. Col. A.G. Rangaraj, an army doctor who led an Indian medical unit during the 1950-53 war. Rangaraj and fellow veterans were posthumously honored at a ceremony on Thursday at Imjingak in Paju, north of Seoul, where officials unveiled a memorial recognizing India’s contribution as part of events marking the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict. The ceremony was attended by visiting Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who was hosted by Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Kwon Oh-eul. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on international veterans affairs cooperation aimed at strengthening exchanges in honoring and remembering those who served. One of six countries that provided non-combat support to South Korea during the conflict, India’s contribution came largely in the form of medical and humanitarian aid. The country’s 60th Parachute Field Ambulance, one of the largest medical units sent by a supporting nation, deployed 627 medical personnel. One of the unit’s best-known operations came during Operation Tomahawk on March 21, 1951, near Munsan, north of Seoul, when members attached to the U.S. Army’s 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team parachuted into enemy territory as part of a combat airborne operation. Amid intense frontline fighting, they established medical facilities and treated wounded soldiers. Led by Rangaraj, the Indian unit treated 200,000 patients and performed 2,500 surgeries. For South Korea, the new memorial carries symbolic weight not only because of India’s wartime role, but also because of its location. Just south of the Demilitarized Zone, Imjingak has long served as a site of remembrance for the war and hope for peace on the still-divided peninsula. The presence of Rangaraj’s family added a personal dimension to Thursday’s ceremony, turning the memorial from a diplomatic event into a reminder of the individual lives behind wartime history. Rangaraj, who completed his medical degree in 1941 before joining the army, became India’s first paratrooper doctor. He was honored in Seoul as the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ Korean War Hero of the Month in March this year. “It is an honor for all of us to know that he has been nominated as a Korean War hero by the government of the Republic of Korea,” Prasad said. In addition to the medical unit, India also played a major postwar role through the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission. A 5,230-strong Custodian Force of India helped carry out the peaceful repatriation of some 2,000 prisoners. The memorial features busts of Rangaraj and another Indian figure closely associated with the Korean War, Gen. K.S. Thimayya, who chaired the U.N. Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission at the time of the armistice. The memory of the unit’s Korean War service remains alive in Agra, the northern Indian city that is home to the Taj Mahal. The city also hosts the 50th Independent Parachute Brigade, one of the Indian Army’s elite airborne formations, under which the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance continues its medical support mission. During AJP’s visit to the brigade in March, Col. Jagneet Gill, the current commanding officer of the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance, said the unit’s deployment to Korea remains an important part of its identity. “The 60th Parachute Field Ambulance is a key medical support unit under the Indian Army’s 50th Independent Parachute Brigade, and we supported wounded people during the Korean War,” Gill said. “It was really nice to have the chance to visit South Korea last November at the invitation of the Korean government.” Decades later, the legacy of the Korean War continues to resonate in the hearts of both nations. 2026-05-21 18:05:00 -
FSC to offer low-rate insurance for 10 Korean ships near Hormuz SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eok-won said Thursday the government will provide low-rate marine insurance for 10 vessels operated by small and midsized Korean shipping companies currently waiting near the Strait of Hormuz. Lee made the remarks during a meeting with shipping companies, policy lenders and insurers in Seoul, the fourth in a series of industry-finance meetings aimed at supporting sectors hit by the Middle East conflict. “The high and prolonged waves triggered by the Middle East war are increasing the management burden on shipping companies through higher operating costs, including fuel expenses, and opportunity costs from route restrictions,” Lee said. He said smaller shipping firms could face difficulties securing insurance for their vessels’ safe return, as marine insurance for large and special risks depends heavily on overseas reinsurers. Under the support plan, 10 domestic nonlife insurers will jointly underwrite war-risk insurance for the vessels without relying on overseas reinsurance. The participating insurers include Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance, KB Insurance and Hanwha General Insurance. The coverage is expected to total about 300 billion won ($200 million) based on the value of the vessels subject to the insurance. The FSC said the insurance will be offered at the lowest rate available among domestic shipping companies, including large carriers. If a lower rate is later applied to another Korean vessel after the contracts are signed, the same rate will be applied retroactively through measures such as premium refunds. The support measure takes effect immediately. Lee also said the FSC will review, in consultation with relevant ministries, ways to establish a standing reinsurance program to expand coverage to major vessels with significant impact on the national economy. Regarding Namu, a midsized bulk carrier operated by HMM that caught fire after an external attack, Lee urged insurers to swiftly proceed with related procedures so that reasonable compensation can be provided. 2026-05-21 17:26:20 -
HD Korea Shipbuilding wins $1.2 bln order for 6 ammonia carriers SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said Thursday it has signed a contract with a European shipowner to build six very large ammonia carriers. The deal is worth 1.08 trillion won ($1.2 billion), the intermediate shipbuilding holding company of HD Hyundai said in a regulatory filing. The vessels will be built by HD Hyundai Samho and delivered by the second half of 2029. With the latest order, HD Korea Shipbuilding has secured orders for 104 vessels worth $12.54 billion so far this year, achieving 53.8 percent of its annual target of $23.31 billion. By vessel type, the company has won orders for 16 liquefied natural gas carriers, 26 container ships, 26 liquefied petroleum gas and ammonia carriers, seven crude oil carriers, 26 product carriers, two pure car and truck carriers and one other vessel. The order comes as HD Hyundai is also expanding its presence in next-generation energy sectors beyond shipbuilding. The company and Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Thursday they were selected as preferred bidders to manufacture and supply key equipment for TerraPower’s fourth-generation Natrium reactor, a sodium-cooled fast reactor being developed by the U.S. SMR company founded by Bill Gates. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a basic agreement with TerraPower on the reactor supply, while Hyundai E&C plans to discuss participation in engineering, procurement and construction work for follow-up commercial units. 2026-05-21 17:12:13 -
Korea, India discuss expanding arms cooperation in first defense talks in 7 years SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back discussed ways to expand defense and defense industry cooperation with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in Seoul on Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said. During the meeting at the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul, the two ministers agreed to further broaden cooperation in defense and arms industry fields, building on the “joint strategic vision” adopted at last month’s summit between the leaders of the two countries. On defense industry cooperation, the two sides positively assessed past achievements, including exports of K9 self-propelled howitzers to India, and agreed to continue expanding cooperation. The two countries also signed agreements to support more practical cooperation in areas such as cybersecurity, U.N. peacekeeping operations and exchanges between their national defense universities. Ahn explained South Korea’s consistent efforts to restore inter-Korean trust and resume dialogue with North Korea for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, while asking for India’s continued support. The meeting was arranged after Ahn invited Singh to South Korea during the 12th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus last year. It marked the first visit by an Indian defense minister to South Korea since 2019. Separately, Lee Yong-cheol, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, met Singh to discuss defense industry cooperation and held the Korea-India Defense Forum. “The K9 self-propelled howitzer is a representative success story of Korea-India defense industry cooperation,” Lee said, expressing hope that the two countries would continue expanding cooperation not only in ongoing projects but also across a broader range of weapons systems. The two sides also discussed the launch of the Korea-India Defense Innovation Platform, or KIND-X, aimed at accelerating defense cooperation in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and unmanned aerial vehicles. Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems each signed memorandums of understanding with Larsen & Toubro, India’s leading defense company, in the presence of Lee and Singh. 2026-05-20 18:13:02 -
S. Korea pushes nuclear submarine plan, but fuel supply remains key hurdle SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - South Korea’s long-running ambition to deploy nuclear-powered submarines has gained fresh momentum as Seoul and Washington move to implement security agreements reached at their latest summit, though securing nuclear fuel remains the project’s biggest obstacle. The challenge facing the program is no longer simply whether South Korea can build or acquire nuclear-powered submarines, but how it would fuel them. According to data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, the Navy recently filed a formal request with the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the acquisition of Korean nuclear-powered submarines. The request marks the first step in South Korea’s weapons acquisition process, under which the military formally outlines operational requirements, deployment concepts, the number of units needed and the projected timeline for a new weapons system. The Navy confirmed it had “made a formal request related to the construction of nuclear-powered submarines,” but declined to disclose details. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is reviewing the proposal and is expected to make a decision as early as this month through a formal meeting. Diplomatic coordination between Seoul and Washington is also accelerating. A senior U.S. delegation led by the under secretary of state for political affairs is expected to visit South Korea within weeks as the allies activate a bilateral working group formed after last year’s summit agreements. The nuclear-powered submarine project has long been a strategic objective for South Korea’s military, dating back to the administration of former President Kim Young-sam. The initiative has repeatedly advanced and stalled under successive governments. During a summit held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last October, U.S. President Donald Trump and President Lee Jae Myung reportedly reached broad agreements on trade and security cooperation, including deeper discussions on strategic naval capabilities. Military authorities have reportedly considered acquiring at least four nuclear-powered submarines with a displacement of 5,000 tons or more after the mid-2030s, though the size and number of vessels may have changed during internal reviews. The central issue, however, remains nuclear fuel. During a visit to Seoul in April, Rafael Grossi said South Korea would require a separate safeguards arrangement with the International Atomic Energy Agency if it proceeds with nuclear-powered submarines. Grossi noted that nuclear material used in such vessels is “not continuously accessible to inspectors” because of the operational nature of submarine reactors. Because nuclear-powered submarines rely on onboard reactors, securing enriched uranium or other nuclear fuel is essential. If South Korea seeks to produce such fuel domestically or obtain related materials or technology from the United States, separate bilateral negotiations and institutional arrangements would likely be required. Reuters reported last December that South Korea’s push for nuclear-powered submarines could mark the end of “decades of U.S. resistance,” while also warning that the move could trigger an underwater arms race in Asia. The U.S. think tank Pacific Forum has also noted that the South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement is focused primarily on civilian nuclear energy. Any transfer of naval nuclear fuel or related technologies could require revisions to the agreement, potentially sparking political debate in Washington. Suh Kune-yull, a professor of nuclear engineering at Seoul National University, said nuclear-powered submarines do not necessarily require highly enriched uranium. “When we talk about enrichment, people usually think of highly enriched uranium with more than 20 percent uranium-235, but nuclear-powered submarines do not necessarily have to use that level of fuel,” Suh said. “It is technically possible to use low-enriched uranium of around 5 percent, similar to the fuel used in nuclear power plants, and France and China are known to operate nuclear-powered submarines based on low-enriched uranium,” he added. The government is pushing to unveil a basic development plan for Korean nuclear-powered submarines by the end of this month. The blueprint is expected to outline Seoul’s principles on acquiring such vessels, construction plans and its stance on nuclear nonproliferation. But whether the initiative evolves beyond a political declaration into a practical roadmap may ultimately depend on how clearly Seoul addresses the question of nuclear fuel supply. 2026-05-20 17:44:42 -
Korea, India to sign MOU on honoring Korean War veterans SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - South Korea and India will work together on international veterans affairs projects to honor Indian veterans who served in the 1950-53 Korean War as part of a medical support unit, Seoul’s Veterans Affairs Ministry said Wednesday. Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul and visiting Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will sign a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation in international veterans affairs at the Indian Korean War Memorial in Imjingak, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday. Under the MOU, the two countries will cooperate in collecting historical records related to India’s participation in the war, honoring veterans, promoting exchanges for veterans’ descendants and future generations, and carrying out academic, educational and cultural projects to shed light on the significance of India’s contribution. After signing the agreement, the two ministers will also attend an unveiling ceremony for the first memorial in South Korea dedicated to Indian Korean War veterans, built by India’s Defense Ministry. The memorial includes busts of Lt. Col. A.G. Rangaraj, who commanded a field hospital during the Korean War, and Gen. K.S. Thimayya, who served as chairman of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission after the armistice agreement. Rangaraj was selected by Seoul’s Veterans Affairs Ministry as the Korean War Hero of the Month in March. During the unveiling ceremony, Kwon will present a plaque recognizing the honor to Rangaraj’s descendant, Kalpana Prasad. When the Korean War broke out, India, then a neutral country, dispatched the largest medical contingent among countries that sent medical support, in line with a U.N. resolution on civilian relief. India’s 60th Parachute Field Ambulance arrived in Busan in 1950 and treated many soldiers and patients near the front lines while moving alongside combat units. 2026-05-20 15:45:58 -
Seoul, Washington to launch working group to advance nuclear submarine deal SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - South Korea and the United States have agreed to launch a bilateral working group to implement security agreements reached at their summit last October, including Washington’s approval for Seoul to build nuclear-powered submarines. U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker is set to visit Seoul within weeks to lead an interagency delegation for the talks. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, who is visiting the United States, met with Hooker in Washington on Tuesday and exchanged views on overall bilateral relations, including the implementation of the Joint Fact Sheet adopted at last year’s summit, as well as regional and global affairs. Park and Hooker agreed to hold a kickoff meeting on nuclear-related security commitments under the Joint Fact Sheet released by the two countries in November, “sharing the view that the two allies should swiftly produce tangible results,” the ministry said. U.S. President Donald Trump visited South Korea last October on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and reached a set of trade and security agreements with President Lee Jae Myung. The security commitments included U.S. approval for South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine program, as well as Seoul’s authority to pursue uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing — measures South Korea secured in return for its $350 billion investment commitment to the U.S. The latest announcement is expected to give momentum to the implementation of the agreements, which have drawn criticism for making little progress since they were announced. The U.S. State Department also said after the meeting that Hooker will travel to Seoul in the coming weeks with an interagency delegation “to launch a bilateral working group” to continue implementing the agreements reached during Trump’s visit to South Korea in October 2025. At the same time, the department said Hooker emphasized that the United States “expects continued progress in bilateral trade and industrial partnerships,” as well as “the need for fair treatment of U.S. companies” and the swift removal of market access barriers. The remarks were seen as underscoring Washington’s call for South Korea to quickly follow through on its promised investment in the United States, while also alluding to issues that have emerged between the two countries, including the Coupang data leak and South Korea’s proposed Online Platform Act, which the U.S. has viewed as a non-tariff barrier. 2026-05-20 11:20:58 -
Trump's Taiwan remarks expose diverging security pressures on Seoul and Taipei SEOUL, May 19 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump's ambiguous remarks on arms sales to Taiwan after his summit with Xi Jinping have raised fresh questions about Washington's security commitments in Asia — with different implications for each partner. For Taiwan, the concern is immediate and existential: whether Washington will sustain both political support and arms transfers in the face of Beijing's sovereignty claim. For South Korea, the dilemma is less direct but consequential: whether the peninsula could be drawn into a broader U.S. strategy in a Taiwan contingency, pulling Seoul beyond its traditional role of deterring North Korea. Taiwan loomed over Trump's three-day Beijing summit despite the ceremony. Xi warned that mishandling the issue — Beijing's "top concern" — could "spiral into conflict." Trump told reporters the U.S. was not seeking to promote Taiwan's independence and confirmed he had discussed arms sales with Xi, but declined to say whether a pending weapons package would proceed, saying only he would decide "very quickly." Washington has no formal diplomatic relations or mutual defense treaty with Taipei. Its security commitment rests on the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which requires making available defense articles sufficient for Taiwan's self-defense and designates any non-peaceful attempt to determine Taiwan's future as a matter of "grave concern." "The security environment in East Asia is likely to become more militarized," said Jeong Kyung-woon of the Korea Military Affairs Association. South Korea's position is structurally different. A formal U.S. treaty ally hosting roughly 28,500 American troops, Seoul's alliance has long centered on deterring North Korea. But U.S. Forces Korea is increasingly discussed within Washington's broader Indo-Pacific posture. The 2026 National Defense Strategy envisions South Korea taking primary responsibility for deterring the North with more limited U.S. support. "The Korean Peninsula is no longer simply a space of inter-Korean confrontation," said Jeong. "Senior U.S. military officials refer to the peninsula as a key axis within the first island chain. South Korea could face growing pressure to support U.S. operations in a Taiwan contingency." Experts note that North Korea is unlikely to align itself entirely with Beijing despite the deepening partnership. Pyongyang has historically been wary of dependency on China and may keep open the possibility of direct engagement with Washington as a bargaining card — even as it deepens ties with both Beijing and Moscow. Seoul is also preparing for the transfer of wartime operational control, possible as early as the first quarter of 2029, contingent on meeting three conditions including demonstrated capability to respond to North Korean threats. 2026-05-19 16:43:00 -
US suspends joint defense body with Canada as security tensions grow SEOUL, May 19 (AJP) - The U.S. has suspended a key defense cooperation body with Canada as tensions with Ottawa widen into security ties. U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby said Monday that Washington would suspend activities of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, or PJBD, a bilateral body responsible for coordinating military cooperation and defense policy between the United States and Canada, according to The Hill. The PJBD, which includes military officials and civilian representatives from both countries, has met twice a year to coordinate joint defense policies. Colby said the decision was made because Canada had failed to show “credible progress” in meeting its defense commitments, adding that Washington would reassess how the PJBD contributes to the joint defense of North America. In the same post on X, Colby shared a video of Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. In the speech, Carney called for middle powers to unite against the influence of superpowers such as the United States and China, remarks widely seen as criticism of Trump’s approach to alliances. Colby’s decision to share the video while announcing the suspension of PJBD activities could be interpreted as a sign of Washington’s displeasure with Carney’s remarks. The Trump administration has also reacted sharply to calls within Canada to reduce purchases of U.S.-made weapons. Canada had planned to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, but the government is reportedly reviewing the plan. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra warned that if Canada decides not to purchase the F-35s, there could be changes to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, system. NORAD, established in 1958 during the Cold War to counter threats from the former Soviet Union, is a U.S.-Canada command responsible for aerospace warning and defense of North America. 2026-05-19 16:17:02