South Korean company SK Hynix will distribute approximately 3.26 million RMB in bonus dividends to each employee in 2026.

It is every employee, covering about 33k full-time staff worldwide, from engineers to security guards, drivers, receptionists without exception.
In September 2025, SK Hynix reached an agreement with the union, completely removing the bonus cap, and committed to distributing 10% of annual operating profit as performance bonuses (PS) to all full-time employees.
The bonus consists of two parts — Productivity Incentive Bonus (PI) (calculated at 150% of the employee’s monthly base salary) and Annual Profit Sharing Bonus (PS) (10% of operating profit).
In 2025, the actual per capita bonus distributed was about 140 million KRW (approximately 674k RMB), equivalent to 2,964% of the basic salary, or 148.2% of the annual salary.
The projected operating profit for 2026 is about 250 trillion KRW (roughly 1,161.6 billion RMB), with a PS pool of about 25 trillion KRW.
The per capita bonus will reach 700 million KRW (about 3.26 million RMB), about five times that of 2025.
As industry leaders, why can CATL refuse to give employees dividends, but SK Hynix must?
Because they have a union.
SK Hynix’s union, through four months of intense collective bargaining, gradual escalation of protest actions, and clear institutional demands, reached a historic agreement on September 1, 2025.
Timeline of the bargaining process (May-September 2025):
1. May-July: The first 10 rounds of negotiations saw repeated stalemates, with the union insisting on a 10% profit dividend, while management stuck to the cap proposal. The 10th round on July 28 officially broke down.
2. July 29: The union announced the breakdown of negotiations and launched protest procedures.
3. August 6: The union held its first “Full Fight Resolution Conference” at the Cheongju plant (the first since its founding), with about 5,000 employees participating, authorizing strike action.
4. August 12: The second protest conference was held at the Icheon plant, with employees holding banners like “End SK Group’s Shadow Control,” declaring an indefinite strike, directly threatening global storage chip supply.
5. Mid-August: The union launched street protests in Seoul and Icheon, widely covered by media, sparking societal discussion on AI dividend distribution.
6. August 20: SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-yoon publicly stated, “1700% bonus is not satisfying; 3000%, 5000% won’t bring happiness,” intensifying conflicts.
7. Late August: The 11th round of negotiations resumed, with the union using a complete shutdown as the ultimate bargaining chip, emphasizing “core employees are indispensable in tech-intensive companies.”
8. September 1: Both parties reached a temporary agreement, with key terms fully meeting union demands.
9. September 4: The union approved the agreement with a 95.4% approval rate, officially ending negotiations.
So, why could SK Hynix’s union succeed in their protest?
Because they dared to strike. The three major unions (Cheongju, Icheon, headquarters) united in action, with all 33k full-time employees participating, without internal splits.
They chose key production bases (Cheongju, Icheon) for rallies, directly impacting the company’s operations, causing fluctuations in global storage chip prices due to production halt risks.
They emphasized “the AI dividends created by employees should be shared with employees,” gaining broad sympathy from Korean society, with no interference from public authorities to forcibly stabilize the situation.
Both are indispensable.
After SK Hynix’s union succeeded, employees at Samsung Semiconductor initiated strikes, demanding a 15% profit share, demonstrating the model’s exemplary effect.
Other Korean tech companies (like LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor) began re-evaluating profit distribution systems, considering increasing employee dividend shares.
This is the proper way for unions to operate.
Tens of thousands of people coming together to fight for their rights — isn’t this part of a grand narrative? So don’t be misled by the concept.
For collective interests, for the majority’s benefit — this is the true grand narrative!
Talking endlessly about dedication, ultimately only enriching a small group of shareholders — that’s not a grand narrative.
That’s called the Three Mountains.