[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The labor union of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has submitted a petition to the government calling for a fair and transparent evaluation process in the Korean Next-Generation Destroyer (KDDX) program.

According to the union on May 19, the petition was delivered to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, with signatures from approximately 2,800 workers across shipbuilding and mid-sized vessel divisions. The signatures were collected over a three-week period starting in early April.

The union raised concerns over potential penalty points stemming from past security-related incidents involving the company, arguing that such measures could unfairly impact the ongoing contractor selection process.

In the petition, the union stated that imposing additional disadvantages based on issues that have already been resolved through legal and administrative actions would be unjust, and warned that a lack of objective and transparent standards could lead to job insecurity and economic strain in Ulsan’s Dong-gu district.

The KDDX project, valued at approximately KRW 7.8 trillion, involves the construction of six next-generation destroyers and has been the subject of a prolonged bidding competition between HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean.

Hanwha Ocean previously handled the conceptual design phase, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was responsible for the basic design. In typical naval procurement processes, the company that completes the basic design often proceeds to detailed design and construction of the lead vessel, making the outcome of the current selection process particularly significant.

 

 

 

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