SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF )

Chairman Jay Y. Lee apologised to customers and the

public on Saturday over the company's wage dispute with its

South Korean labour union ahead of a possible strike that could

shake the economy.

"I sincerely apologise to customers around the world for

causing anxiety and concern due to issues within our company,"

Lee said in his first public remarks on the dispute, adding that

he also "deeply bows in apology to the public".

After pay negotiations broke down this week, the labour

minister met Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ) management on Saturday and

urged the company to take an active role in resolving the

dispute through dialogue.

South Korean government officials, including the prime

minister and finance minister, have voiced concerns that a

strike at Samsung should be avoided at all costs, warning it

could pose significant risks to economic growth, exports and

financial markets.

The collapse of the government-mediated negotiations

heightened concerns about a strike at the world's biggest memory

chipmaker, whose customers include Nvidia ( NVDA ), AMD

and Google.

The union said on Friday it remained committed to a planned

strike starting next week, even after the company proposed

resuming pay talks without conditions.

In 2020, Lee apologized for the behaviour of executives

caught sabotaging labour union activities, and vowed to

guarantee labour rights at the tech giant. Some of Samsung

Group's former and current executives have been investigated or

convicted.