Samsung Electronics’ labor and management will commence the second round of mediation tomorrow.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Samsung Electronics’ labor and management sides will launch the second round of post-facto mediation at 10 a.m. local time on the 18th. Previously, the labor side announced it would begin an 18-day general strike on the 21st; thus, whether this mediation can reach an agreement—and thereby resolve tensions and avert the strike—has drawn widespread attention. Under mediation by the Central Labor Commission of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, labor and management held marathon negotiations from the 11th to the early hours of the 13th, but failed to narrow their differences regarding the criteria for performance bonus payments, leading to the breakdown of talks. On the 14th, the Commission requested that the labor side resume negotiations on the 16th, but this request was rejected. This time, both sides have accepted the Commission’s mediation request, and negotiations will resume after a five-day hiatus. Lee Jae-yong, Executive Chairman of Samsung Electronics, returned to South Korea on the 16th after an overseas business trip. Upon arriving at Seoul’s Gimpo Business Aviation Center, he appealed to the labor side to return to the negotiating table. Lee stated, “At this very moment, we must unite our efforts and move forward together in the same direction—we must once again exert our utmost efforts to truly take pride in being ‘Samsung people.’” Meanwhile, Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon met separately with the labor and management sides on the 15th and 16th to explain the government’s position and facilitate consensus-building.