Samsung's highly lucrative bonus deal with its semiconductor employees is now tearing the conglomerate apart along the proverbial seams, as the ensuing astronomical pay gap is now spurring angst among ex-semiconductor employees.
To demonstrate their grievances, Samsung Device Experience (DX) employees, which include those from its Mobile, Display, and Digital Appliance businesses, chose a novel and fairly dramatic method today, replete with overtones of grief and condemnation.
Some Samsung workers wore black to work today, symbolizing 'death, sorrow, and mourning'
As per the reports coming out of South Korea, Samsung DX workers went to work today while dressed in black clothes and masks. While the black color in Korean culture can sometimes symbolize wisdom, it is also worn in times of grief and mourning. Given the evolving situation at Samsung, the collective action was likely meant to express an affinity with the latter connotation.
Interestingly, the reports indicate that unions that cater to Samsung's DX division are also rapidly growing in size, indicating widespread discontent.
As we reported back in May, Samsung's agreement with its unionized workers will now see its semiconductor workers take home a special performance bonus that is equal to 10.5 percent of the tech behemoth's annual operating profits, provided that such profits exceed 200 trillion won from 2026 to 2028 and 100 trillion won from 2029 to 2035.
In fact, based on the current expectations that Samsung will earn an operating profit of around 300 trillion won this year, each memory-focused employee stands to take home around 600 million won (~$400,000) in bonuses this year alone.
The situation, however, is less than ideal for Samsung's employees working in other divisions. For instance, Samsung Mobile employees will take home just 6 million won (~$4,000) in bonuses this year, which is around 100x less than what semiconductor employees stand to earn!
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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