Alphabiz - KAI Union Stages Protest in Seoul Over Six-Month CEO Vacancy

Photo: Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province

[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The prolonged leadership vacuum at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which has continued for nearly six months, has prompted the company’s labor union to launch a protest in Seoul. The union criticized the Korea Export-Import Bank (KEXIM), KAI’s largest shareholder, for delaying the CEO appointment despite export, development, and partnership decisions remaining stalled without final approval. The union argued that “the cycle of political interference must come to an end.”

On the 10th, approximately 100 senior union members traveled from KAI’s headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, to KEXIM’s office in Yeouido, Seoul, where they held a rally urging swift selection of a new CEO. Participants held signs reading “Take responsibility for management paralysis” and “Stop neglecting project delays,” calling for the leadership vacuum to be resolved and for the selection criteria to be disclosed.

Kim Seung-gu, head of the KAI union, said, “Every time administrations change, the CEO is replaced, breaking business continuity and forcing strategic shifts. The head of a national strategic industry should not be swayed by political cycles but must be someone capable of safeguarding the future of the aerospace sector under any circumstances.”

Kim added, “This vacancy is not mere bureaucratic delay—it is the result of KEXIM avoiding responsibility. Concerns are rising that KEXIM may be stalling the appointment while watching the political situation, without disclosing its selection criteria or process.”

The union stated that the absence of a CEO is disrupting major development programs such as the FA-50 and KF-21, as well as export operations. Export contracts, international partnership negotiations, and strategies for new projects have all halted at the final approval stage, while discussions on next year’s budget and organizational restructuring have also failed to move forward.

“We cannot accept any further management vacuum,” Kim stressed. “KEXIM must transparently disclose the selection criteria and process and appoint a candidate with professional expertise and accountability—someone who will not be swayed by political changes.”

He added, “What we are protecting is not just corporate stability but the future of Korea’s aerospace industry and the livelihoods of 20,000 workers.”

Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)