Around 39,000 unionised workers at Hyundai Motor (South Korea's largest automaker) staged a full eight-hour strike on Friday, halting production lines at plants in Ulsan, Jeonju, and Asan — the first such walkout in 10 years. The action is part of a prolonged dispute, with workers and management deadlocked over base pay, a 50% rise in performance bonuses, retirement age extensions, and the reinstatement of dismissed union members; cumulative strikes since May are estimated to have cost roughly $1.64 billion in lost sales and 55,200 vehicles in lost output. Further disruptions are expected next week, while sister company Kia Corp. also approved plans for partial strikes — what would be its first industrial action in six years.