SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that certain bonuses paid by Samsung Electronics must be included in the calculation of employees’ average wages, a decision that could reshape how severance pay is determined across the country’s private sector. Taken together, the court said, those elements established a sufficient link between the bonuses and employees’ labor. Under South Korean labor law, severance pay is calculated using an employee’s “average wage,” defined as total earnings during the final three months of employment divided by the number of days worked during that period. Employers are required to pay at least 30 days’ worth of that average wage for each year of continuous service. The decision also builds on a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that required public institutions to include bonuses when calculating average wages — a judgment that has since fueled a growing wave of litigation in the private sector.