“Unions Aiming at Unions” — Samsung Electronics and LG Uplus Union Conflict Poses New Fracture in South Korea's Labor Movement

In May 2026, the bulletin boards of South Korea's largest manufacturer, Samsung Electronics, are flooded with unusual declarations of withdrawal. These are not expressions of anger directed at the company, but declarations of withdrawal aimed at the union itself. Recently, the bulletin board of the Samsung Group's supra-corporate union has seen more than 1,000 withdrawal requests posted daily, with the number reportedly surpassing 1,000 on April 29 after initially standing at under 100. It is a rare scene in the history of the South Korean labor movement. Union members are not fighting the company, but instead casting dissenting votes against the very union to which they belong. This is the so-called "labor-labor conflict." It is a phenomenon where individuals who were bound within the same workplace or under the moniker of fellow workers are split apart by conflicting interests. As of M…