Naver creates first labor union

SEOUL, April 2 (Yonhap) -- Naver Corp., South Korea's dominant Internet portal and search engine, said Monday that it has established the company's first labor union.

After receiving official approval, the union started receiving membership applications from potential members, Naver's union said. More than 300 people joined within two hours.

The union is the first since Naver -- which has nearly 4,000 employees including its affiliates -- was first established in 1999.

"Naver became more bureaucratic as the company grew from its initial horizontal culture," said the union in its declaration. "The union will put efforts toward healthy growth."

Industry watchers said it is rare for homegrown information and technology firms to have labor unions, excluding large firms such as Microsoft Korea, the local unit of U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp.

khj@yna.co.kr

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