Kim Kyung-ja Meets the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions for a Second Day as Yang Kyung-soo Warns Against One-Sided Policies

Presidential social affairs aide Kim Kyung-ja met Korean Confederation of Trade Unions chairman Yang Kyung-soo on Wednesday, marking their second consecutive day of contact with the labor movement. Kim had attended the previous day’s informal meeting at the presidential office between President Lee Jae-myung and the leaders of South Korea’s two major labor federations.

Yang used the meeting to challenge what he described as the government’s continued focus on economic growth. He cited proposed “mega-special zones” that include labor exceptions, such as exemptions from the 52-hour workweek for research and development workers, as well as the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s guidance on the scope of labor disputes.

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Many aspects of the government’s recent actions, including the discussions on mega-special zones and the labor ministry’s guidance on the scope of industrial action, feel to workers like one wall after another is being built at a time when we should be creating a new foundation with difficulty.

“Many aspects of the government’s recent actions, including the discussions on mega-special zones and the labor ministry’s guidance on the scope of industrial action, feel to workers like one wall after another is being built at a time when we should be creating a new foundation with difficulty,” Yang said.

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As long as the sustainability of companies is guaranteed, workers’ survival must also be viewed as weighty and important.

He argued that larger economic output and higher wages had not translated into enough improvement in workers’ quality of life. Yang called rising tax revenue linked to increased operating profits at semiconductor companies and other firms “a very valuable opportunity,” but warned that its benefits should not simply return to businesses.

“As long as the sustainability of companies is guaranteed, workers’ survival must also be viewed as weighty and important,” Yang said. He urged the government to treat workers as participants in policymaking and genuine dialogue partners. If the government continued to announce and pursue policies unilaterally, he added, the union would have no choice but to prioritize struggle or resistance over dialogue and cooperation.

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If unilateral policy announcements and implementation by the government continue, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions will have no choice but to prioritize struggle or resistance rather than talk about dialogue and cooperation.