Samsung Strikes Deal with Workers for Profit Sharing in Company's Trillion Dollar Slice of the AI Pie

Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President Yeo Myung-gu, left, and Samsung Electronics labor unions leader Choi Seung-ho sign a wage agreement – credit, Samsung, released

Following eye-watering Q1 performance, some 48,000 of Samsung’s semiconductor division workers are set to receive a new profit-sharing-style bonus structure that will give a bigger slice of the AI pie to those making baking it.

Samsung’s compensation package was among the country’s most generous, as the tech giant accounts for a staggering 16% of national GDP. But after last month’s Q1 revenues rose over 800%, exceeding the entirety of fiscal year 2025, 40% of Samsung’s South Korea-based staff were poised to go on strike for better terms.

The issue was resolved quickly and a preliminary agreement was reached between Samsung’s largest labor union and the company which saw the staff return to work Monday morning, and the company’s shares surge 7%.

Roughly 75% of the 62,000 unionized workers backed the preliminary deal that would see an end to the cap on bonuses of 50% of annual pay, and in its place the commitment to allocate 10.5% of operating profits from its semiconductor division to worker bonuses.

Well, the semiconductor division accounted for 94% of total operating profit in the quarter, amounting to $35.8 billion, 10.5% of which divided 48,000 striking workers would equate to around $78,000 for just this quarter alone. Multiplied by 4, a worker’s slice of the AI boom would amount to $312,000.

Samsung is the country’s largest company at over $1 trillion in market cap, and it’s also the largest semiconductor manufacturer. The standoff came 8 months after the second-largest semiconductor producer, SK Hynix, improved its own bonus terms to its employees.

“The semiconductor industry is now facing a war to secure global talent,” Samsung’s union said in a statement last month. “SK Hynix has already revised its compensation structure to retain talent, while foreign companies are luring our engineers with exceptional offers.”

Samsung and SK Hynix are direct beneficiaries of the global AI boom (or bubble, as some might say), as the wafer-thin processors are needed to supply the computing power to run the AI tools which can be found all throughout our society from E-commerce to hospitals to the front lines of the war in Ukraine.

The strike threatened to so thoroughly derail global semiconductor production that the Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok made mention of it on Sunday.

“Any disruption to Samsung’s semiconductor production would go far beyond losses for a single corporate group, leaving deep scars across the national economy,” said the Prime Minister, whose government actually helped step in and mediate the deal.“The agreement came later than expected,” Samsung said in a Wednesday statement. “We will work to build a more mature and constructive labor management relationship so that such a situation does not happen again.” Samsung Strikes Deal with Workers for Profit Sharing in Company's Trillion Dollar Slice of the AI Pie

Read More........ → May 29, 2026

Global trends, fading roots: What the Korean wave means for India

New Delhi, (IANS): Recent incidents and growing concerns around excessive online influence and cultural obsession among adolescents have renewed national debate on how foreign cultural content is being consumed by young Indians, and whether adequate guidance and balance are being provided at the family and institutional level.

At the heart of this discussion lies a broader and more complex issue -- India's cultural confidence and the way its youth relate to their own language, traditions, and identity in an increasingly globalised world.

Over the past decade, South Korean popular culture -- popularly known as the Korean Wave or Hallyu -- has gained remarkable traction among Indian youth.

Korean pop music, television dramas, online games, fashion trends, food preferences, and even language expressions have become deeply embedded in adolescent and youth lifestyles, particularly in urban and semi-urban India.

While cultural exchange is a natural and often enriching process, concern arises when admiration for another culture begins to replace, rather than complement, one's own cultural foundations.

The contrast between South Korea and India is particularly striking.

While a country like South Korea, with a population of around 50 million, is consistently promoting its culture, language, traditions, and music not only within its own borders but across the world, India -- despite having a population of nearly 1.4 billion -- appears to be gradually distancing itself from its own cultural roots.

Many observers note that Indian youth are increasingly forgetting their language, traditions, food habits, and cultural practices, while enthusiastically adopting foreign lifestyles and trends.

South Korea's cultural success is not driven by blind admiration for other nations, nor by rejection of globalisation. Instead, it is built on deep confidence in its own identity.

Korean youth do not abandon their language or traditions while engaging with the global community.

On international platforms, Koreans confidently use their native language, promote their music and cinema, support domestic brands, and project a strong sense of national belonging. This mindset is anchored in the concept of "Woori Nara", meaning "my country", which reflects collective responsibility, cultural loyalty, and pride.

Wherever Koreans go -- whether for education, employment, or travel -- they consciously carry their identity with them. They speak Korean among themselves abroad, prefer Korean airlines, support Korean-made products, and actively promote Korean food, games, music, dramas, and technology.

Importantly, Korean youth are not seen abandoning their cultural values in the name of global trends, nor do they display excessive fascination with foreign cultures at the cost of their own traditions.

In contrast, a section of Indian youth appears to be moving in the opposite direction. Increasingly, young Indians openly express discomfort or dislike toward Indian food, show hesitation in using Indian languages in public spaces, and associate modernity, sophistication, or global status primarily with foreign cultural markers. While interest in global cultures is not problematic in itself, concern arises when such interest is accompanied by embarrassment, detachment, or disregard for one's own heritage.

India has historically been an emotionally open and inclusive society, readily absorbing external influences. This openness has been one of the country's greatest strengths. However, inclusiveness without cultural grounding can lead to imbalance. The issue is not about rejecting Korean culture -- or any foreign influence -- but about the absence of discernment: understanding what to learn, what to adapt, and what not to imitate blindly.

Cultural thinkers emphasise that true nationalism in a globalised world does not mean isolation or hostility toward other cultures. Rather, it means possessing the confidence to celebrate, protect, and promote one's own language, traditions, food, knowledge systems, and products while engaging respectfully with the world. South Korea's example demonstrates that strong cultural pride and global integration are not contradictory, but complementary.

The role of families, schools, and educational institutions is critical in this context. Cultural awareness and identity formation cannot be left solely to digital platforms, algorithms, or entertainment content. Children and adolescents require consistent guidance to understand their heritage, language, history, and values so that their engagement with global culture becomes additive rather than substitutive.

At the policy level, there is a growing need for initiatives that encourage Indians to use their languages confidently on international stages, openly acknowledge national achievements, and support domestic products without hesitation. Cultural confidence must be reinforced through education systems, media representation, youth programmes, and institutional messaging that normalise pride in Indian identity rather than treating it as outdated or secondary.

As India continues to assert its place on the global stage -- economically, technologically, and diplomatically -- the challenge is not to resist global culture, but to engage with it from a position of self-respect and clarity. Learning from South Korea is valuable, but the most important lesson lies not in imitating entertainment trends, fashion, or lifestyle choices. It lies in adopting the confidence with which a nation carries its identity into the world.In the end, cultural exchange should expand horizons, not erase roots. Global trends, fading roots: What the Korean wave means for India | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → March 11, 2026

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy smartphone to feature new privacy feature

IANS Photo

Seoul, (IANS): Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday its upcoming Galaxy smartphone will come with a built-in privacy feature allowing users to protect on-screen information from others without the need to attach an additional film.

The South Korean tech giant said the new feature will allow users to customise display visibility to prevent "shoulder surfing," noting the feature will be "coming to Galaxy very soon."

Samsung Electronics is expected to hold a showcase event for the Galaxy S26 smartphone in February. The new feature is set to be available for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, according to sources, reports Yonhap news agency.

"With multiple settings for adjusting visibility, you can limit what others can see based on the level of privacy protection you need," the company said in a release.

The company said users can customise the feature depending on applications.

"It took over five years of engineering, testing and refining to get here," the company said. "We studied how people use their phones, what they consider private and how security should feel in everyday life."

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics showcased its Galaxy Z Flip 7 Olympic Edition, introducing features aimed at enhancing athletes' experience during the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy.

The device will be provided to around 3,800 athletes from 90 countries participating in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which will kick off Feb. 6, the South Korean tech giant said.

The new edition of the Galaxy Z Flip comes with a design reflecting "cultural resonance of Italian azure" and "the spirit of unity and sportsmanship embodied by the Olympic Games," the company said.

"The custom gold metal frame symbolises athletes' pursuit of excellence and podium moments, as well as the brand's aspiration for the best," it added.

Samsung said athletes can utilise various cutting-edge features on the device to communicate with other participants, including its interpretation app and the Galaxy Athlete Card, which allows them to easily exchange profiles.

With the smartphone, Samsung Electronics said it will run a "Victory Selfie" event, under which medal winners will take selfies on the podium.Professional photographers will also use the Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone during the event to take photos of around 490 athletes who gave their consent. Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy smartphone to feature new privacy feature | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → January 30, 2026