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Business trends

South Korea's latest high-pressure corporate competition: pay raises

Junior employees at nation's top companies frustrated with seniority-based salary scales

After a revolt among younger employees, chipmaker SK Hynix drastically increased bonuses this year. (Photo courtesy of SK Hynix)

SEOUL -- One after another of South Korea's biggest companies has bowed to pressure from below to raise pay in a country where salary was long linked to seniority.

Average pay for Samsung Electronics' 110,000 employees rose 13% last year. Bonuses worth more than 10 months' pay are not uncommon among high-profit companies.

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