POSCO's union has secured the legal right to strike after South Korea's National Labor Relations Commission halted mediation on the 18th following a third session in this year's wage talks. The union sought full-scale negotiations on the 20th after first approaching management on the 19th, but said management rejected the request and proposed further working-level discussions. The dispute threatens POSCO's 58-year record without a labor dispute since its founding in 1968. The union approved industrial action with 92.17% support on 97.09% turnout last month and is demanding a 7.1% base-pay increase, a 600% incentive payment, 50 employee shares and a 200% holiday bonus. POSCO says fully accepting the package would cost about 1.4 trillion won ($1 billion), roughly twice last year's amount, while the company has offered a 1.5% pay increase, incentives and other benefits. The union has not immediately begun a walkout, but its latest statement signals that it may no longer seek talks first, increasing pressure on both sides to resolve the dispute before action disrupts steel supplies to manufacturers.