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Labor Ministry investigates Hanwha Ocean over allegations of unfair labor practices, union interference

Published: 13 Jan. 2026, 14:20 Updated: 13 Jan. 2026, 14:55

Ships are under construction at Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, on Oct. 30, 2025. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor launched an investigation into Hanwha Ocean over allegations of unfair labor practices and union interference that were raised during last year’s parliamentary audit.

The ministry's Tongyeong District Office in South Gyeongsang dispatched about 30 investigators to carry out a raid at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje shipyard on Tuesday, targeting the company's labor management cooperation headquarters and related departments.

Investigators focused on securing computer hard drives, various labor-related documents and an item referred to as a “labor management notebook,” according to sources.

The notebook allegedly contains records of attempts by the company to support or intervene in specific factions within the union — a claim that surfaced during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee.

“The Labor Ministry is conducting an on-site investigation to verify the facts regarding the labor management notebook and other materials,” Hanwha Ocean said, adding that the company is “fully cooperating with the investigation.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KO SEUNG-PYO [[email protected]]