Industry reports say the cash-strapped retailer disbursed the unpaid 75 percent of April salaries along with full May wages and shutdown allowances to all employees on Tuesday morning.
The company declined to identify the source of the funds, though proceeds from the Homeplus Express sale, settled in full the previous day, are presumed to have been tapped.
June wages, however, remain unpaid. Homeplus pays salaries on the 21st of each month, meaning the payment due last Friday has yet to be made, leaving workers in continued limbo.
Homeplus filed for court receivership in March last year to pursue restructuring and has spent more than a year under legal administration.
Having offloaded its Express supermarket arm, the company has launched a pre-approval merger and acquisition process for its remaining operations, yet it continues to struggle to raise the 200 billion won ($129.9 million) required to carry out its rehabilitation plan.
The retailer has asked its largest creditor, Meritz Financial Group, for a 200 billion won debtor-in-possession loan, but talks remain deadlocked as Meritz demands conditions including a personal guarantee from MBK Partners chairman Michael Kim.
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