[The Editors' Verdict]A Just Nation Still Out of Reach

It has been 10 years since "What Is Justice?" written by Michael Sandel, a professor of political philosophy at Harvard University, was introduced in Korea.

Since the Korean translation was introduced in May 2010, the book has gained even greater popularity in Korea than in the United States, reaching the number one spot on bestseller lists. Even the author was surprised by its popularity, and overseas articles analyzed the reasons behind its success in Korea. Among these, the most convincing analysis seems to be that the desire for "justice" and "fairness" was particularly strong in Korea. Under decades of authoritarian regimes, the values of justice and fairness were often relegated to a lower priority or overshadowed by other values in our society.

President Moon Jae-in, who came to power through the "Candlelight public sentiment," also seemed to judge that the era's values demanded by our society still lie in fairness and justice. In his inaugural speech, he promised to create "a country where opportunities are equal, processes are fair, and outcomes are just." The public was excited and filled with expectations by these words. Many citizens still vividly remember this promise in their minds.

However, conversely, these words often become shackles for President Moon. This was the case during the former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk incident last year, and recently, the issue reemerged surrounding the regularization of non-regular workers at Incheon International Airport Corporation.

The problem began on the 22nd when Incheon International Airport Corporation announced its plan to directly employ 1,902 security screening personnel as petition police officers, a number far exceeding the 1,700 regular airport employees. Some argue that this measure disheartens current employees who passed difficult exams to join the corporation and job seekers preparing for employment there. According to a job portal site, Incheon International Airport Corporation has maintained its position as the most desired public enterprise for university students since 2018.

On the 23rd, a post titled "Please Stop the Regularization of Non-Regular Workers in Public Enterprises" was uploaded on the Blue House petition board. The petitioner expressed frustration, saying, "What crime have the job seekers who build their qualifications and study to enter here, as well as current employees, committed? Is taking away the positions of those who work hard equality?" They also stated, "This is not equality but reverse discrimination and a greater misfortune for the youth." Over 200,000 people joined this petition within a day, indicating that many young people were concerned about the regularization of non-regular workers in public enterprises.

It seems that young people are not only troubled by the Incheon International Airport Corporation case. The petitioner pointed out that due to the regularization of non-regular workers in public enterprises such as Korea Expressway Corporation, Korea Railroad Corporation, and Seoul Metro, the employment gate has actually become narrower.

Watching the dissatisfaction of job seekers regarding the regularization of non-regular workers in public enterprises makes one ponder once again, "What is justice?" Could it be that mechanically applying "equality" has led to results that stray from true justice?

Everyone sympathizes with the reality that non-regular workers are discriminated against compared to regular workers. However, direct employment of non-regular workers cannot be the answer. This process can create new victims of good faith. If the problem lies in discrimination, the solution should be to eliminate discrimination. Demanding more than that can only be seen as having another ulterior motive.

The bigger problem is that the direct employment of non-regular workers could further entrench the "dual structure of the labor market," one of the most chronic diseases in our society.

Once regularized, these workers will likely organize strong labor unions to protect their positions. As a result, the barriers to entering regular employment will become even higher, and the discrimination between regular and non-regular workers will worsen. This leads to outcomes increasingly distant from the justice that President Moon so earnestly desired.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.