Discussions on the distribution of excess profits in the semiconductor industry have brought renewed attention to remarks made by Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding 'common prosperity.'
On July 15, a post titled 'Common Prosperity Abandoned by China' appeared on an online community forum.
The post highlighted Xi's statement from 2015, where he emphasized that 'the fruits of development should be shared by the people, and we must steadily advance towards a direction where all people become prosperous together,' focusing on income redistribution as part of the common prosperity policy. However, in 2025, Xi shifted his stance, stating that 'the wealthy should promote common prosperity,' encouraging the growth and investment of private enterprises.
Internet users reacted, noting, 'Even a communist country like China is changing its policy direction, while South Korea is discussing the redistribution of excess profits.'
One user remarked, 'One reason to study history is to avoid repeating others' failures; I don't understand why we insist on trying again, claiming 'I am different.'
Other users commented, 'The Democratic Party seems intent on importing failed policies from abroad,' and 'It looks like we are simply imitating a communist state,' among other critical remarks.
This controversy is seen as a continuation of discussions from a government-hosted forum on semiconductor excess profit distribution held the previous day.
On July 14, a discussion titled 'A New Path for Social Innovation in Line with AI Technology Innovation' took place at Peace and Park in Yongsan, Seoul.
The government explained that the forum was organized to discuss how to share excess profits generated in the semiconductor and AI industries with workers, partner companies, and society, particularly in light of the controversy surrounding Samsung Electronics' performance bonuses. Key topics included the concept of excess profits, an N% performance bonus system, wage disparities between primary and subcontracted workers, and methods for sharing social benefits.
During the forum, representatives from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions stated, 'We do not believe shareholders have ownership rights over corporate profits,' and 'Dividends are merely a procedurally defined right,' which sparked further debate.
Participants expressed critical views, saying, 'Start by recovering excess profits from the salaries of the president and lawmakers based on minimum wage,' and 'It seems like they presented this without any economic principles,' among other comments.
It is important to note that the discussions held at this forum were intended for public dialogue on policy direction, and the introduction of a profit redistribution system has not been finalized.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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