Overview

• In a daylong ballot, 86.15% backed a walkout with turnout near 95% of 42,180 members, the union said.
• South Korea’s labor commission ended mediation, granting the legal right to strike, and the union will convene an ad hoc strike committee Thursday as an immediate walkout is viewed as unlikely.
• Union demands include a 141,300-won monthly base-pay increase, performance pay equal to 30% of last year’s net profit, extending the retirement age to 64, adopting a four-and-a-half-day workweek, and raising annual bonuses to roughly nine months’ pay.
• Talks spanned 17 rounds since mid-June before the union halted negotiations on Aug. 13 after the company failed to present a concrete offer, though both sides have indicated lower-level consultations will continue.
• A strike could magnify financial pressure as Hyundai navigates newly imposed 15% U.S. tariffs on vehicle exports and potential output losses, with the company noting it has avoided strikes since 2018.