A labor union at South Korea's Samsung Electronics says it plans to go on strike, following a breakdown in negotiations with the firm's management. The move would be the first-ever walkout at the global chipmaker since its founding.

The National Samsung Electronics Union, which has been in talks with the management, made the announcement at a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday.

The union said it is planning a coordinated one-day use of collective leave by its members on June 7.

A union representative said, "It may appear to be a passive walkout, but we are taking it one step at a time."

South Korean media are widely covering the development, saying it would be the first-ever walkout by workers at the tech giant.

The major union is among the five labor organizations representing workers at Samsung Electronics, and many of its members are working in its semiconductor department.

The firm last week replaced the head of its semiconductor business amid concerns that the maker is falling behind a domestic rival in development of memory necessary for artificial intelligence development.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports that the possibility of a delay in production is expected to be low, but people inside and outside of the industry are voicing concerns over the first-ever strike.

Samsung told NHK that it will sincerely engage in negotiations with the union, as it has been doing up to now.