GM Korea to add 107 full-time factory workers amid exit rumors

(News1)

GM Korea Co. will convert more than 100 non-regular production workers to full-time employees later this month, underscoring the company’s stance on employment stability and continued domestic investment amid speculation about a potential withdrawal from South Korea.

According to industry sources on Thursday, GM Korea is proceeding with a process to convert 107 non-regular workers to permanent positions.

The candidates are non-regular workers who have filed lawsuits seeking court confirmation of their worker status against GM Korea and were deemed eligible under the company’s internal criteria.

Workers whose hiring is finalized will be assigned to the Bupyeong plant in Incheon and deployed directly to production lines. Employment terms will follow standards applied in previous similar processes, including recognition of up to 50 percent of prior service, capped at 8 years, and contract bonuses of up to 12 million won ($8,163) based on years of service.

The hiring process will be completed later this month following interviews, labor contract signing, orientation training, and pre-placement medical checkups.

GM Korea said the hiring is part of its ongoing policy to convert non-regular workers to full-time employees and is unrelated to ongoing lawsuits over worker status or any future Supreme Court ruling. The company has faced multiple court rulings finding its use of subcontracted workers illegal.

GM Korea said it has carried out worker conversions under the policy since before court rulings were issued. Over the past 3 years, the cumulative number of workers converted through the process has exceeded 1,300, and with the addition of the current 107, the total is approaching 1,500.

Industry observers say the continuation of the conversion policy this year is helping maintain and supplement overall employment.

Analysts say GM Korea is improving employment quality and stability by offsetting workforce reductions from natural attrition, such as retirements, through the regularization of non-regular workers. Because the workers were not previously directly employed by the company, the move is also expected to result in a tangible expansion of employment.

GM Korea said the conversion is unrelated to speculation about a potential withdrawal from Korea, describing it as part of routine recruitment rather than a response to market rumors. Some observers nevertheless link the continued selective hiring to the company’s commitment to strengthening its domestic operations, noting that converting more than 100 production workers at once is relatively large by recent standards.

GM Korea plans to officially launch the Buick brand in Korea this year and expand the GMC brand, with plans to introduce at least four new models. The company aims to accelerate its market strategy centered on mid-size sport utility vehicles (SUVs), which are in high demand in Korea.

Investment is also continuing.

Since 2002, GM Korea has invested a cumulative 9.7 trillion won and produced more than 27 million finished vehicles and semi-knockdown units. More recently, the company invested about 440 billion won in product upgrades and is reinforcing the foundation for continued production beyond 2028 through additional investment of about $300 million.

In December last year, GM Korea Chief Executive Officer Hector Villarreal said at the GM Korea 2026 Business Strategy Conference that GM’s commitment to Korea remains unchanged and that the company will expand its portfolio of next-generation internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles.