15 Labor Inspectors of the Year Selected... Dedicated to Protecting Rights Against Wage Arrears and Overwork

Delivery drivers are sorting packages at the CJ Logistics Gangnam 2 Branch terminal parcel sorting site in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Employment and Labor has selected 15 labor inspectors who contributed to protecting workers' rights this year as the 'Labor Inspectors of the Year.'

Since 1995, the Ministry has annually selected and commended labor inspectors from local employment and labor offices with outstanding work performance as the 'Labor Inspectors of the Year.' This year, labor inspectors who worked to protect the rights of vulnerable workers amid the COVID-19 crisis were mainly selected.

Inspector Lee Seung-yeon of the Seoul Gangnam Branch focused on improving the working conditions of vulnerable groups while handling labor inspection duties. She led labor inspections of the information technology (IT) sector in the Gangnam area of Seoul, where long working hours were an issue, uncovering numerous legal violations such as violations of working hours and non-payment of overtime and night work allowances.

In particular, during the labor inspection process, she revealed through digital evidence analysis of attendance records that overtime pay was not properly paid and ensured that all payments were made.

Inspector Lee Gyu-ho of the Jungbu Branch was responsible for labor inspections targeting courier company logistics centers and online distribution companies, where delivery volumes surged due to the activation of the non-face-to-face economy caused by COVID-19.

With the social issue of courier workers' overwork this year, workers at courier company logistics centers and online distribution companies also faced concerns about overwork and safety due to the surge in delivery volumes.

Inspector Lee Gyu-ho detected violations of working hours and break times through labor inspections and worked to improve them, playing a key role in protecting essential workers during the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

Inspector Park Hong-won of the Gyeonggi Branch worked to restore the rights of workers suffering from wage arrears. He arrested and detained a business owner who disappeared without making efforts to settle over 100 million won in wages owed to daily workers and others, raising awareness that wage arrears are a serious crime through strict law enforcement. He also worked to ensure that wage claimants experiencing livelihood insecurity received wage claims promptly.

Inspector Baek Seung-jun of the Cheongju Branch, despite having less than two years of experience as a labor inspector, showed outstanding work performance by significantly reducing the processing time for reported cases. He promptly visited sites where collective wage arrears occurred to ensure the settlement of unpaid wages, actively performing his duties with the attitude that the answer lies in the field.

In addition, all inspectors selected as Labor Inspectors of the Year actively worked to stabilize employment and protect workers' rights, as well as stabilize labor-management relations on site during the COVID-19 crisis.

Meanwhile, among this year's Labor Inspectors of the Year, the late Inspector Lee Sung-woo tragically passed away in a traffic accident while on his way to a site after receiving a wage arrears report. The late Inspector Lee had special achievements in stabilizing employment and eliminating discrimination for non-regular workers.

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