The Hyundai Motor branch of the Korean Metalworkers' Union said it will extend
daily strike action from 2 to 4 hours and conduct three consecutive days of
4‑hour strikes from July 20-22 after a July 16 meeting. Formal wage talks have
been deadlocked for more than a week; informal working‑level contacts have not
produced substantive progress. The union's principal demands are higher base
pay, raising bonus payouts from 750% to 800%, reinstatement of dismissed union
members and raising the retirement age; the union said it would suspend strikes
if formal negotiations restart. If differences are not narrowed next week, this
year's wage and collective bargaining round may become a prolonged dispute.
