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🇰🇷 South Korea /Energy & Infrastructure

Just Transition Needed for AI Era

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Context piece
  • The concept of a 'just transition' aims to ensure that economic shifts, like decarbonization, are fair and inclusive, preventing vulnerable populations from bearing the brunt of change.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption mirrors this, with young workers disproportionately affected by job losses, while benefits accrue to a few, exacerbating economic polarization.
  • To ensure sustainable societies, a just and fair transition is crucial, protecting workers and businesses while distributing new opportunities equitably.

The transition to artificial intelligence (AI) mirrors the challenges of decarbonization, disproportionately impacting vulnerable groups while concentrating benefits among a select few. This phenomenon, termed 'just transition,' emphasizes the need for economic shifts to be fair and inclusive, ensuring no one is left behind.

This is about greening the economy in a way that is fair and inclusive for all, ensuring that no one is left behind.

· International Labour Organization (ILO)Defining the concept of 'just transition' to ensure fairness during economic shifts.

Young workers are feeling the initial shockwaves of AI's impact on the labor market. A Bank of Korea report indicated that out of 211,000 fewer youth jobs between 2022 and 2025, a staggering 208,000 were in sectors highly exposed to AI. This contrasts sharply with the stable employment of middle-aged workers in the same fields, highlighting young people as the 'canaries in the coal mine' for AI's labor market disruptions. Women, particularly those in administrative and repetitive cognitive roles, are also increasingly being pushed into less secure employment.

Economic polarization is already evident, exemplified by the Samsung Electronics bonus dispute. The company's AI-driven semiconductor boom yielded over 57 trillion won in operating profit in the first quarter of 2026 alone. While a labor-management agreement averted a strike, the conflict over profit distribution persists. Disparities exist even within Samsung, with compensation varying by division, and employees of over 1,700 partner companies are entirely excluded from these gains.

Young people are the first to sense the impact AI will have on the entire labor market.

· Article's AnalogyDescribing young workers as 'canaries in the coal mine' for AI's labor market effects.

The infrastructure for AI development, including national support and vast datasets, has been built upon societal contributions. Companies like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have received trillions of won in tax benefits through the K-Semiconductor Act. The data used for AI training comprises countless individuals' writings and photographs. The question remains whether a society can sustain itself when costs are socialized while profits are concentrated among a few.

The Samsung Electronics bonus dispute is a prelude to the conflicts that will unfold over the distribution of profits from artificial intelligence.

· Article's AnalysisFraming the Samsung Electronics bonus dispute as an early indicator of AI-related profit distribution conflicts.

The International Labour Organization's (ILO) Secretary-General's report this year explicitly addresses this issue, advocating for a 'just transition.' This approach does not seek to halt technological change but aims to protect workers and businesses during the transition, ensure fair burden-sharing, and guarantee new opportunities. A just and equitable transition is essential for building sustainable societies.

AI infrastructure is built on national support and social data. Costs are socialized, while profits are concentrated among a few. Can this society last?

· Article's QuestionRaising concerns about the sustainability of a system where societal costs yield private profits for a few.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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