Samsung Workers Just Bought the World's Most Expensive Billboard to Make Their Case

The Ad That Crossed an Ocean

On September 5, a fifteen-second video began circulating on the digital billboards of Times Square every hour at thirty-five minutes past the hour. The message was simple: “GREAT PRODUCTS BEGIN WITH PEOPLE” and “WE ARE STILL HERE.” It was not an ad from Samsung Corporation. It was an ad from Samsung’s own workers.

The donghaeng nojo — the DX Division Solidarity Union — represents employees at Samsung Electronics’ Device eXperience division, the unit responsible for smartphones, televisions, and home appliances. By buying space in one of the most expensive advertising slots on Earth, the union has done something unusual: it has turned a domestic labor dispute into a global spectacle.

What the Union Actually Wants

Samsung and the donghaeng nojo already reached a wage settlement through government mediation. A court also rejected the union’s application to suspend that agreement. By all conventional measures, the labor dispute should be over.

The union disagrees. Their demands extend beyond the wage table. They are asking for 1,000 shares of Samsung stock per DX division employee, a company-wide pooled reward fund distributed based on overall performance, and a uniform base salary increase rate applied across all divisions.

The core grievance is structural inequality within Samsung itself. DX workers argue they receive far less compensation than colleagues in the Device Solutions division — the semiconductor business that has rode the AI chip boom to record profits. While Samsung pivots aggressively toward artificial intelligence, the union says DX employees are being squeezed: asked to do more with less, while the company frames efficiency gains as inevitable rather than negotiated.

Why Times Square Is Not a Lucky Break

Placing an ad in Times Square costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. For a union to raise that kind of money signals either substantial treasury reserves or financial support from member dues. Either way, it is a deliberate escalation.

The choice of location is strategic. Samsung has a massive flagship store in the heart of Times Square — one of the company’s most visible global landmarks. By advertising there, the union is making a point about who actually builds the products hanging on those walls. The slogan “WE ARE STILL HERE” is both a statement of presence and a warning: workers cannot be automated away and then forgotten.

This is part of a broader shift in how labor disputes play out in the twenty-first century. When traditional bargaining channels close — especially when courts side with management — unions increasingly look for alternative arenas. Social media campaigns, shareholder resolutions, and now physical advertising in globally recognized spaces have become tools for workers who feel shut out of institutional processes.

The Bigger Pattern: Korean Labor Goes Global

South Korea’s labor movement has been growing bolder for years. Samsung’s unions, once known for relative compliance, have pushed back increasingly against management decisions ranging from hiring freezes to restructuring plans. The donghaeng nojo’s action follows a pattern seen elsewhere: when domestic institutions favor employers, labor takes its case overseas.

The timing matters. Samsung is deep into an AI transformation that will reshape its organization. The company has been open about pursuing workforce efficiency alongside its technology pivot. For workers, that combination — AI promises paired with organizational tightening — creates anxiety that bargaining tables alone cannot address.

The union’s next move reinforces this reading. Starting September 18, members plan rallies and solo protests near CEO Lee Jae-yong’s residence in Yongsan, Seoul. The progression from Times Square to the chairman’s doorstep shows a campaign designed to multiply pressure points, not concentrate them.

Who Wins, Who Loses

Samsung’s brand is its most valuable asset. A fifteen-second clip playing on a Times Square screen reaching millions of viewers carries reputational weight that no domestic news cycle can match. Even viewers who do not follow labor news see the imagery of workers standing up to one of the world’s most recognizable tech companies. That image lingers.

For the donghaeng nojo, the ad is a credibility play. Having lost in mediation and in court, the union needs to demonstrate it still has teeth. The Times Square appearance sends that message to members, to other Samsung unions, and to anyone watching how labor adapts when institutions close ranks.

The risk for the union is real. Critics, including some Korean media outlets, have questioned whether continuing collective action after a settlement was reached is appropriate. The union’s own members may grow frustrated if the ad campaign does not produce tangible results. And Samsung’s legal position is strong — there is no active dispute to intervene in, only a union choosing not to stand down.

What Comes Next

The question is whether this campaign stays symbolic or forces Samsung to return to the table on issues beyond wages. The stock grant demand, for instance, touches directly on the compensation gap between DX and semiconductor divisions — a structural issue that no mediation has resolved.

Samsung has yet to respond publicly to the Times Square ad. The company’s historical approach to union disputes has been to absorb pressure until it dissipates. But global visibility changes the calculus. A dispute that stayed local could be managed quietly. A dispute that plays on screens in Manhattan attracts scrutiny from investors, analysts, and international labor organizations.

The donghaeng nojo appears to understand this. Their campaign is built to outlast a single negotiation cycle. Whether it changes outcomes remains to be seen — but the strategy itself marks a meaningful evolution in how Korean labor unions operate when the door to traditional bargaining seems to close.