President Lee Jae-myung met with the leaders of South Korea's two umbrella labor groups on the 3rd and said labor-management disputes arising from the government's mega-projects would be addressed through a framework of social dialogue. The meeting followed recent talks with the heads of major conglomerates — SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung — on U.S. investment and progress on the mega-projects, and extended the president's call for cooperation to organized labor.
Presidential Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing that the president invited Kim Dong-myeong, president of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and Yang Kyung-soo, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, to a tea session to discuss labor issues including the government's three mega-projects and ways to advance social dialogue. According to Kang, the president stressed that the mega-projects are a national task that must succeed for the sake of national competitiveness and future generations. He noted that cooperation with labor is needed as large-scale industrial investment and regional development move forward. He also said the country must address a situation in which union opposition, invoking the Yellow Envelope Law, extends even to management decisions by employers.
The two union leaders told the president that close communication and guaranteed active participation are needed for the mega-projects to succeed. They said in particular that labor-related points of contention in the mega-district bill now under discussion should be resolved through social dialogue involving both unions and employers.
The president and the two union leaders also found common ground on extending the retirement age. The president said that with the National Assembly's special committee on extending the retirement age having debated a range of issues over the past year, a conclusion should be reached within the year through parliamentary deliberation that fully reflects the positions of stakeholders. Gaps between labor and management remain wide, however, as the issue is bound up with corporate labor costs, the impact on youth employment and the overhaul of wage systems.
The president welcomed the start of discussions on the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions returning to social dialogue. With national tasks piling up that labor, management and government must resolve together — including the artificial intelligence transition in the workplace and easing what he called K-shaped polarization — he proposed finding solutions through "complete social dialogue" with both umbrella groups taking part.
