Breaking the 73-Year Barrier of Central Government Labor Supervision... Jeju Launches the Nation's First Dedicated Organization

[Financial News Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok] The labor supervision system, which has been operated under the central government since the enactment of the Labor Standards Act in 1953, will be changed to a joint central and local system for the first time in 73 years.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on the 11th, Jeju Province established a dedicated organization called the 'Labor Safety Inspector' on August 25, consisting of one division and three teams, including the Labor Supervision Policy Team, the Labor Supervision Team, and the Industrial Safety Supervision Team.
Jeju Province plans to sequentially hire six professional personnel, including experienced staff, and secure supervisory capabilities through on-site practical training and joint inspections by the central government.
The reason Jeju established the organization first lies in the Act on the Performance of Duties by Labor Inspectors, which will take effect on December 8. The new law establishes separate central labor inspectors under the Ministry of Employment and Labor and local labor inspectors under cities and provinces, allowing local governments to take charge of workplace inspections within a certain scope. This effectively lays the legal foundation for local governments to participate as official entities in labor inspections, which have been virtually exclusively handled by the central government.
The core target of local delegation is workplaces with fewer than 30 regular employees. However, not all workplaces with fewer than 30 employees immediately become subject to local government supervision. The Minister of Employment and Labor may delegate some of the supervisory authority over workplaces with fewer than 30 employees to mayors and provincial governors following consultation between the central and local governments.
The specific industries, scope of workplaces, and inspection items to be supervised by Jeju Province will also be determined through future consultation procedures. The structure is such that once Jeju Province establishes a regional supervision plan, the specific scope of delegation is adjusted through the Regional Labor Supervision Council and the National Labor Supervision Council.
Regional labor inspections do not stop at visiting workplaces to check for compliance with labor laws. Within the scope of delegation, the work involves verifying legal violations, demanding corrections, and connecting necessary administrative measures with judicial proceedings.
Initially, supervisory capabilities are expected to be concentrated on areas directly related to the protection of workers' rights, such as unpaid wages and working conditions, as well as on improving labor management in small businesses.
The biggest challenge in implementing the system is experience and expertise. While central labor offices have accumulated decades of experience in labor supervision and investigation, local governments are exercising supervisory authority for the first time. Specialized personnel and practical experience are required to carry out everything from on-site inspections and investigations to legal interpretation and case processing.
Jeju Province also views this point as a key task in the early stages of implementing the system.
Park Cheon-su, Vice Governor of Jeju Province, proposed a plan for the central and local governments to jointly conduct inspections and field training during the first one to two years of implementation at the 1st National Labor Supervision Council meeting held at the Seoul Royal Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 10th.
The purpose is to allow new local labor inspectors time to familiarize themselves with supervision techniques and investigation procedures by handling actual cases in the field alongside central labor inspectors.
Jeju Province has been carrying out preparatory work in stages ahead of the implementation of the system. Last January, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Employment and Labor to establish a collaborative system for labor supervision, and has been operating a dedicated task force since February. Last April, it completed the amendment of the Civil Servant Quota Ordinance to secure local labor supervision personnel.
Subsequently, on August 25, it launched a dedicated organization combining the Labor Supervision Policy Team, Labor Supervision Team, and Industrial Safety Supervision Team, becoming the first local government in the country to do so.
The government is also accelerating preparations for the implementation of local labor inspections. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) has allocated standard personnel for the inspections, while the Ministry of Employment and Labor is pushing forward with the training of new local inspectors and the establishment of a labor information system.
A support system for investigations and complex cases will also be established. This involves an inspector from the competent regional labor office accompanying a local labor inspector during their initial workplace inspection, and allows for support from both central labor inspectors and regional labor offices for complex cases.
In the case of Jeju, the actual impact of local labor inspections is expected to be significant, coupled with an industrial structure characterized by a high concentration of small businesses. As numerous small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in sectors such as tourism, accommodation and food services, and construction account for a substantial portion of the local employment market, the actual impact felt on the ground may vary depending on which industries and fields the local government oversees.
However, the mere fact that a dedicated organization was established first does not guarantee the success of the system. The key variables that will determine the system's success or failure are the actual supervisory authority and scope of workplaces delegated to Jeju, the on-site expertise of new inspectors, and the division of roles with central labor offices.
Park Cheon-su, Vice Governor of Jeju Province, said, "We will prepare to ensure that the labor safety inspector organization, which was established for the first time in the country, plays a substantial role in protecting workers' rights and creating a safe working environment by cooperating closely with the central government."


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