Naver's metaverse affiliate stages walkout, 2nd collective action this year

Unionized workers at Naver Z Corp., the metaverse affiliate of Korea's Naver Corp., staged a walkout on Wednesday, marking its second collective action this year. The protest, led by about 120 workers, took place outside the headquarters of Naver Corp. in Seongnam, south of Seoul. According to the company's affiliate-wide labor union, 70 percent of the union's members participated in the demonstration.

The union explained that the walkout is in response to Naver Z's decision to freeze wages. The union pointed out that such wage freezes are rare, with only one occurring in 2009 during the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Even then, the company retaliated by giving a 71 percent pay raise to its executives. The union argued this during a live broadcast of the walkout, emphasizing the injustice of the situation.

This is not the first time Naver Z has taken collective action. Earlier this month, the company faced a 4-hour partial strike. Moreover, this marks the second industrial action within Korea's portal service industry this year. In June, unionized members of Kakao Corp., a messenger app operator, also staged multiple walkouts.