Labor Commission Chairman's Dominance in 'Yellow Envelope Act' Cases Sparks Impartiality Concerns

Concerns are mounting over the impartiality of South Korea's Central Labor Relations Commission (CLRC) in handling cases related to the "Yellow Envelope Act." Since the law's implementation on May 24, the CLRC has adjudicated 39 retrial cases. Notably, CLRC Chairman Park Soo-keun personally presided over 36 of these cases, representing over 92% of the total.

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Since the law's implementation on May 24, the CLRC has adjudicated 39 retrial cases.

Further exacerbating these concerns, two standing committee members, Kim Yu-jin and Kim Eun-cheol, both former Ministry of Employment and Labor officials, were involved in 35 and 28 cases, respectively. The first 24 cases were exclusively handled by these three individuals. This concentration of judgment among a small group deviates from the principle of random selection designed to prevent bias, as stipulated by the Labor Committee Act.

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CLRC Chairman Park Soo-keun personally presided over 36 of these cases, representing over 92% of the total.

While the CLRC cited the need for consistency during the law's early stages, the limited involvement of external public interest committee members, only four participated in any of the 39 retrials, is drawing criticism. The act's "designer," Chairman Park, who previously ruled that primary contractors must engage in collective bargaining with subcontractors even without a direct employment relationship, is now presiding over most of these cases. This has led to accusations that decisions are being made by a select few, potentially overlooking diverse perspectives and interpretations, especially given the ambiguous criteria for primary contractor responsibility.

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The first 24 cases were exclusively handled by these three individuals.