SK Hynix Bonuses Spark Calls for Public Sharing

Amidst announcements that employees at SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics are to receive record-high performance bonuses, a claim has been made that these bonuses should be shared among all citizens.

The majority response to this claim has been a rebuttal, deeming it an infringement on private property rights and a communist-like argument. Critics pointed out that companies and their employees already contribute to state finances through corporate and income taxes, making further distribution demands a form of double taxation and a violation of free market economic principles. One netizen argued that while taxes helped the companies during difficult times, if those companies had gone bankrupt then, the nation would have faced not only a loss of tax revenue but also widespread unemployment. They added that the capitalist way to share profits is by legitimately joining the company as an employee or becoming a shareholder.

SK Hynix utilizes 10% of its operating profit as a bonus fund, and if its operating profit exceeds 250 trillion won this year, an average of 600 million won per employee could be possible. The Samsung Electronics union has demanded the distribution of 15% of operating profit.