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World Economy

GM Plans to Cut 5,000 South Korean Jobs

General Motors’ South Korean unit plans to slash 5,000 jobs, or about 30% of its workforce, but keep production steady if Seoul agrees to its $2.8 billion proposal for the loss-making operation, according to a document seen by Reuters. The US automaker announced last month that it would shut down a factory in Gunsan, southwest of Seoul, and that it was mulling the fate of its three other plants in South Korea. The Detroit automaker, which owns 77% of GM Korea, is negotiating with the South Korean government over the restructuring proposal, as state-run Korea Development Bank owns a 17% stake. GM’s main Chinese partner, SAIC Motor Corp., controls the remaining 6%. In the plan it submitted to the government and seen by Reuters, GM Korea proposed cutting the number of employees to 11,000 from about 16,000. Because only 2,000 people work at the Gunsan facility, it appears the other factories will also be affected. The document did not specify when the cuts would occur.