South Korea's Kakao says it fails to reach a pay deal with union


Kakao CEO Chung Shina speaks during a press conference with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to announce partnerships on AI services, in Seoul, South Korea, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL, May ⁠27 (Reuters) - South Korean tech firm Kakao Corp said ⁠it has failed to reach a pay deal with ‌its union after second-round negotiations mediated by the government on Wednesday.

It added that it would continue to try to reach an agreement ​with the union.

A representative of the ⁠union said in a ⁠text message to Reuters after the talks that they will ⁠go ‌on strike in June as planned.

Unionised workers at Kakao Corp and four affiliates, including headquarters, ⁠Kakao Pay Corp and Kakao Enterprise, previously ​voted to support ‌a plan to go on strike.

The union has ⁠not confirmed ​how many of its members at Kakao Corp and four affiliates would participate in a strike. About 700 members attended ⁠a rally on May 20, a ​union leader said.

The union said in a statement earlier this month that management had offered "excessive bonuses" only to executives ⁠even as the company posted record revenue and profit in recent years.

The company also failed to address other issues, including overtime, and had not shown sincerity in negotiations ​with the union, it said.

Kakao ⁠said in a statement it had negotiated sincerely with the ​union for the 2026 wage deal ‌but failed to reach agreement ​over the design of compensation structure.

(Reporting by Heejin Kim; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Ed Davies)

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