Kim, “Yoon’s achievement in rule of law and labor reform led to a significant decrease in labor strike days”
“Current Yellow Envelope Law conflicts with the Constitution and Civil Law…punishments are too excessive”,
Kim Moon-soo, candidate for Minister of Employment and Labor, attended a briefing on July 31 in the briefing room of the Presidential Office of Yongsan, Seoul. 2024.7.31/News1 ⓒ News1 Photo by Song Won-young,
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, ‘(Seoul=News1) Han Sang-hee Jeong Ji-hyeong Reporter = President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Kim Moon-soo, chairman of the Economic and Social Labor Commission, as the Minister of Employment and Labor on the 31st.’,
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, ‘Secretary-General Jung Jin-seok announced this at a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the day.’,
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, ‘Secretary-General Jung explained the background of appointing Kim as the candidate, saying, “He worked fiercely to improve labor rights for those in their 20s and 30s at the work site. A candidate who has experienced labor issues extensively in the labor market, legislation, and administration at a busy time in the labor sector is the right person to complete labor reform.”‘,
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, ‘Kim, a former labor activist, served as a member of the 15th, 16th, and 17th National Assembly and was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province twice. In September 2022, he was appointed as the chairman of the Presidential Commission on Social Dialogue, a government body directly under the President, where he led discussions between labor and management for sustainable economic and social development, Secretary-General Jung explained.’,
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, ‘After his nomination, Kim met with reporters and stated, “I will always listen to the labor sector, employers’ organizations, including the KCTU and FKI, labor-related academia, and the press.”‘,
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, ‘Kim said, “President Yoon’s rule of law labor reform has achieved significant results over the past two years, leading to a sharp decrease in labor strike days.” He added, “Another challenge of labor reform, protecting the disadvantaged workers, is a complex and difficult issue. The government will actively support even small businesses with less than five employees or unorganized workers in micro and small businesses to fulfill their modest dreams of getting married and having children.”‘,
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, ‘On the contentious “Yellow Envelope Law” (amendment to the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act), he mentioned that President Yoon exercised his constitutional right to veto during his term in the 21st National Assembly and pointed out the conflicts with the current Constitution and Civil Law. There are direct conflicts with civil law, and numerous obligations based on various contract-related uncertainties. He emphasized the need for sufficient discussion on these points, saying, “While protection for the disadvantaged groups and subcontracted workers is necessary, excessive compensation claims for excessive actions should not bankrupt labor unions or individuals. Some level of punishment is good, but there are points of excessive severity that need thorough discussion.”‘,
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, ‘Regarding the minimum wage, Kim said, “In a situation where Korea’s export ratio is very high, the minimum wage level has reached a level higher than Tokyo, Japan. While the minimum wage can act as a useful tool to reduce disparities, raising it too high could result in another side effect of decreasing jobs. Therefore, a cautious social dialogue and agreement process are needed rather than rushing.”‘,
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, ‘President Yoon also made appointments in the field of broadcasting and communications. He reissued the appointment of Chairman Lee Jin-sook of the Korea Communications Commission. He also appointed Kim Tae-gyu, former member of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, as the new deputy chairman. ‘,
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, ‘The Presidential Office stated that Kim, as the deputy chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, is the right person to enhance the welfare of broadcast and communications users and ensure the public responsibility and independence of broadcasting.’,
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, ‘With the joint appointment of Chairman Lee and Deputy Chairman Kim, the Broadcasting and Communications Commission, a five-member agreement-based body, has returned from an unprecedented ‘zero-member system’ with all 5 standing members vacant to a ‘two-member system’ for the first time, meeting the quorum for Broadcasting and Communications Commission decisions. It is expected that an immediate plenary session will be held later in the afternoon to decide on the appointment of directors of KBS and MBC major shareholders broadcast culture promotion associations.’,
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, ‘Personnel changes were also made in the diplomatic and security fields. President Yoon appointed former Ambassador to the Netherlands Choi Hyeong-chan as the Director of the National Diplomatic Academy. He appointed Park Cheol-hee, incumbent Japanese Ambassador, and Shim Seung-seop, former Chief of Naval Operations, as Ambassadors to Japan and Australia, respectively, making appointments for two foreign affairs chiefs.’]