SK Hynix

A fire in a gas room connecting the M15 and M15X fabrication buildings at SK Hynix's Cheongju campus caused a fluorine gas leak on June 1, 2026, hospitalizing seven workers and prompting evacuation of roughly 3,600 employees. The plant continued operating while SK Hynix investigated with authorities. In response to this and other recent chip-sector accidents, South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor launched safety inspections at 25 semiconductor manufacturers, including SK Hynix, beginning June 26, 2026, covering hazardous-material handling, chemical leak prevention, and fire/explosion protocols.

Amid a record 45 trillion won 2025 operating profit and hundreds-of-millions-of-won performance bonuses for direct SK Hynix employees, subcontracted workers (via logistics subcontractor P&S Logis) received only about 5-6 million won each in 'co-prosperity incentives.' After SK Hynix's parent company refused direct collective bargaining, the subcontractor union sent a certified legal notice in May 2026 threatening a labor commission petition and court injunction. South Korea's 'Yellow Envelope Act,' which took full effect in March 2026, expanded recognition of parent companies' 'employer status' over subcontractor working conditions, strengthening the legal basis for the claim. As of August 2026 the dispute remained unresolved, with SK Hynix's own headquarters wage talks also stalled over a stock bonus proposal.