* Government officials warn a strike could threaten

economic growth and exports

* Union rejects pressure for arbitration, vows not to

accept unfavourable pay deal

* President Lee Jae Myung urges equal respect for labour

and corporate management rights

By Heekyong Yang

SEOUL, May 18 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF )

and its South Korean labour union are set to join a

new round of government-mediated pay talks on Monday, in a bid

to avert a strike at the tech giant, which accounts for nearly a

quarter of the country's exports.

The talks resume days after a first round of

government-mediated negotiations over pay and bonus schemes

collapsed, ahead of a strike scheduled to begin on Thursday at

the world's largest memory chipmaker.

South Korean government officials, including the prime

minister and finance minister, have voiced concerns that a

strike should be avoided at all costs, warning it could pose

significant risk to economic growth, exports and financial

markets.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said in a social media

post on Monday that corporate management rights should be

respected as much as labour rights in the country's free-market

economy.

"In South Korea, which has adopted a liberal democratic

order and capitalist market economy, labour should be respected

as much as businesses, and corporate management rights should be

respected as much as labour rights," Lee wrote on X.

He said that workers should receive fair compensation for

their labour, while shareholders who bear risks and losses

through investments also deserve a share of corporate profit.

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on Sunday the

government would pursue all options, including emergency

arbitration, to prevent a strike.

An emergency arbitration order, which can be invoked by the

labour minister if the country deems that a dispute is likely to

harm the economy or daily life, immediately prohibits industrial

action for 30 days while the National Labor Relations Commission

conducts mediation and arbitration.

The union said on Sunday it would not give in to pressure on

arbitration and would not agree to a pay deal should the company

offer a less favorable proposal.

After the collapse of negotiations last week, executives

from Samsung's chip division urged the union to refrain from

striking, citing concerns raised by hard-won semiconductor

customers such as Nvidia ( NVDA ), according to media reports.

The executives said some customers had indicated they might

temporarily stop accepting shipments during a strike because

they could not guarantee product quality, according to reports,

citing a participant at the meeting.

Samsung declined to comment on the matter.

Samsung Electronics' ( SSNLF ) shares were trading up 0.7% in morning

trade, compared with benchmark KOSPI's 2.5% fall.