Story perspectives

Micron Jumps on Samsung Strike Threat, AI HBM Boom

5/13/2026

Summary

Samsung Strike Looms

Micron Technology shares rose above $800 as investors reacted to a threatened Samsung Electronics strike.
Samsung Electronics workers plan a walkout from May 21 through June 7 demanding larger profit-sharing bonuses, as Jefferies estimates the strike could cut global memory-chip output by about 3%.
AI demand has already sold out Micron’s full 2026 high-bandwidth memory supply, projecting revenue to rise from $8 billion in Q2 2025 to $23.8 billion in 2026.

Summary

NPS Sells Micron

The National Pension Service sold 175,714 Micron shares (?6% stake) worth $59.36 million by end-March.
In Q1 it bought 1,167,483 Nvidia shares and 8,204,459 Apple shares.
Samsung and SK Hynix together comprised 42.2% of the KOSPI in May.
TSMC holds over 40% of Taiwan’s Taiex.
Analysts note that the combined March-quarter profit of $59.7 billion, which exceeded India Inc.’s $49 billion, occurs amid Middle-East geopolitical risk and persistent foreign-investor net selling.

Summary

Kim Calls Meeting

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok called an emergency cabinet meeting on May 13 to address the Samsung strike’s economic threat.
The Samsung union secured 93.1% approval from 61,000 workers for an 18-day strike beginning May 21.
Samsung’s semiconductor unit earned 53.7 trillion won in Q1 2026, 93.4% of profit and a 48-fold YoY rise.
Samsung shares dropped up to 6% after talks failed, later stabilising at a 0.7% loss.

Summary

Mirae Asset Soars

Mirae Asset Securities posted a record $670 million quarterly profit, the first Korean brokerage to do so.
Presidential aide Lee Jae-ho urged broader sharing of AI-era gains across society.
DS Investment researcher Choi Seung-ho said Pearl Abyss’s guidance is credible because it uses scenario-based sales assumptions.
Mirae Asset analyst Bae Song-yi raised Shinsegae’s target price to 600,000 won, citing department-store and duty-free sales.
Lotte Shopping shares jumped 6.26 percent on strong sales.

History

Historical Context

In 1997 South Korea accepted a $58.4 billion IMF bailout after the Asian financial crisis toppled chaebols and sparked 1998 labor protests demanding profit-sharing. The reforms forced tighter corporate governance, and today Samsung Electronics, a South Korean chaebol, faces a threatened strike that prompted Prime Minister Kim Min-seok to call an emergency cabinet meeting.

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Samsung Strike Looms

Micron Technology shares rose above $800 as investors reacted to a threatened Samsung Electronics strike.
Samsung Electronics workers plan a walkout from May 21 through June 7 demanding larger profit-sharing bonuses, as Jefferies estimates the strike could cut global memory-chip output by about 3%.
AI demand has already sold out Micron’s full 2026 high-bandwidth memory supply, projecting revenue to rise from $8 billion in Q2 2025 to $23.8 billion in 2026.

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