**Brief on Achievements and Plans Over 2 Years and 6 Months**
The Ministry of Employment and Labor reiterated its commitment on the 12th to expanding the application of the Labor Standards Act to workplaces with fewer than five employees, expressing their intention to persuade both labor and management through social dialogue. As the Yoon Suk Yeol administration reaches the halfway point of its term, the Ministry of Employment and Labor self-evaluated that it had established the rule of law in labor relations over the past 2 years and 6 months. However, the expansion of the Labor Standards Act to small workplaces, extending retirement age, and ensuring labor market flexibility remain challenges.
In the briefing titled “Achievements and Future Plans of the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration’s Employment and Labor Policies” held at the Government Complex Seoul, Vice Minister Kim Min-seok stated that they would proceed with related research, analysis, and social discussions to devise a phased plan for applying the Labor Standards Act to workplaces with fewer than five employees. Concerning measures to extend the retirement age, Vice Minister Kim noted, “Extending the retirement age pertains to large corporations and the public sector, which make up 12% of the total workforce, and this is the most desired job sector for young people.”
Since the launch of the Yoon administration, the Ministry has cited efforts to improve illegal practices in labor sites and transparency in labor union accounting as representative examples of establishing the rule of law in labor relations. The number of work loss days (84 days) and duration of labor disputes (9.4 days) are at a historically low level, and approximately 80% (1.1856 trillion won) of the 1.5224 trillion won in unpaid wages from January to September this year has been cleared. However, the structural reforms concerning working hours, wage system reorganization, labor market dual structure improvements, and retirement age extension were not fully achieved.