Minister Kim Young-hoon: "The Lee Jae-myung Administration’s Core Principle for Labor Relations Is Labor-Management Autonomy... Extension of Retirement Age Is Already Overdue"

[Financial News] On the 20th, Kim Young-hoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, emphasized, "A key principle in labor relations pursued by the Lee Jae-myung administration is labor-management autonomy, which is the result of a century of wisdom from the International Labour Organization (ILO)."
During the informal meeting at the Government Complex Sejong, Minister Kim was asked about anticipated responses from labor and management regarding follow-up measures to the Yellow Envelope Act (amended Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act). He stated, "Our goal is to make this a 'genuine growth act' that bridges the gap between primary and subcontracted workers and fosters mutual growth by guaranteeing practical collective bargaining rights for subcontracted workers."
Minister Kim urged management, "Rather than judicializing labor-management relations by saying 'we'll resolve this in court,' I hope both sides will engage in autonomous negotiations to realize the intent of this law as much as possible."
Regarding labor unions, he said, "There seem to be concerns that the single bargaining channel system denies collective bargaining rights to subcontracted workers. There have been cases of abuse in the past, and given various precedents, I understand why such suspicions arise." He added, "However, starting with this initiative, we plan to transition the single bargaining channel system, which was established at the company level, to a supra-company form, so I ask for understanding of the government’s intent."
On the extension of the retirement age, he remarked, "It is already overdue." While agreeing with the legislative intent, he maintained a cautious stance on direct government intervention or specifying a concrete timeline, citing the sharp interests between labor, management, and generations.
Minister Kim stated, "The extension of the retirement age is already overdue. No administration has sufficiently prepared for workforce reproduction, and even now, I believe it is late."
He continued, "Since the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)'s Labor-Management Task Force is in operation, the government will act as an observer. The government’s role is to support and persuade both sides so that legislative action or labor-management agreements can be reached within the year."
"In some regions, the mismatch is so severe that there are calls to abolish the retirement age or ease restrictions on hiring foreign workers," he pointed out. "Because the labor market is fragmented, comprehensive measures are needed to address issues such as how to reallocate mismatched youth jobs, how to expand quality jobs preferred by young people, and how to provide robust protection for Platform Workers and non-regular workers who lack even the concept of retirement age."
Regarding President Lee Jae-myung’s remarks on labor market flexibility, he commented, "The President’s statements are based on an accurate diagnosis of the Korean labor market."
Minister Kim explained, "Labor reform has always been a major topic for most administrations, regardless of whether they are conservative, progressive, pro-labor, or pro-business. The President’s call to openly discuss labor market flexibility and stability is intended to concretely address solutions to labor market fragmentation."
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