SK Hynix

Following a June 2026 fluorine gas leak at its Cheongju plant, South Korean labor authorities conducted intensive nationwide safety inspections across 27 semiconductor manufacturers, finding 338 total violations. SK Hynix accounted for roughly half: 119 violations at its Cheongju campus (35.2% of all violations found industry-wide) and 48 at Icheon. Regulators issued fines (32 million won at Cheongju, 27.7 million won at Icheon), referred Cheongju safety-rule breaches to prosecutors for potential criminal prosecution, revoked a subcontracting approval at Icheon, and issued a work-suspension order. Violations included missing warning labels, failure to post safety data sheets, and non-compliance with required procedures for subcontracted operations.

SK Hynix's 2025 sustainability disclosures showed the company saved an average of 170,000 tons of water daily at its domestic plants in 2025, enough for roughly 550,000 people, through a water and wastewater reduction task force running since 2018. Cumulative water savings reached 303.37 million tons through 2025 against a 264 million-ton target, with water reuse up 54% to 73.59 million tons from 47.88 million tons in 2022. SK Hynix said it plans to raise its cumulative savings target to 329 million tons in 2026.

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.