[Asia Exclusive] The 'Transformation' of Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service... Flexible Seating System and Summer 'Shorts at Work' Policy

Interview with Kang Soon-hee, President of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service

Kang Soon-hee, President of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sunhee] When asked about her reflections on the past year amid the COVID-19 crisis, Kang Soonhee, President of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL), laughed heartily and said, "I am truly fortunate in my work." Kang served as a special committee member in charge of unemployment measures at the Policy Evaluation Committee of the Office for Government Policy Coordination during the 1998 International Monetary Fund (IMF) financial crisis. She recalled, "At that time, companies were closing down almost daily, and the streets were overflowing with unemployed people. Serving as a specialist on unemployment measures, I lost my health for the first time."

About 22 years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic that struck the Korean economy, she once again took on the role of president of KCOMWEL, responsible for labor welfare. Coincidentally, she has held key positions in employment and labor during two unprecedented employment crises.

Graduating from Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in economics and earning her master's and doctorate in labor economics from the same university, Kang began her career at the Korea Industrial Human Resources Corporation's Vocational Training Research Institute. She then worked as a researcher at the Korea Labor Institute for about 25 years before serving as the Director of the Central Employment Information Service. From February 2006 until the end of the Roh Moo-hyun administration, she was the Labor and Employment Policy Secretary at the Presidential Secretariat, overlapping with Moon Jae-in, who was then the Chief of Staff. She later served as President of the Korean Association for Vocational Qualifications and the Korean Labor Economics Association before being appointed president of KCOMWEL last year.

Kang is the first 'private-sector' president in the history of the organization. Previously, all presidents were career bureaucrats from the Ministry of Employment and Labor or similar agencies. The current Minister of Employment and Labor, Lee Jae-gap, also served as the 7th president of KCOMWEL.

Immediately after her appointment, Kang established a dedicated organizational culture team?the first such attempt since the foundation of the organization. She explained, "No single department can handle all tasks alone, so we emphasize 'daily collaboration.' However, public institutions typically have very hierarchical structures, making this challenging. We created a task force for personnel exchanges and organizational culture innovation for the first time, and things are changing very quickly." She repeatedly emphasized, "Beyond the work itself, interaction between tasks and between employees, both vertically and horizontally, is key to a healthy organization."

Since Kang's appointment, the internal culture of the organization has changed significantly. Cubicles in the office were removed, and spaces previously arranged by rank were converted into 'free seating.' Employees who arrive early can sit wherever they want, and without fixed seats, they can work from different spots daily, like in a caf?. Kang said, "Just by introducing space efficiency and free seating, the atmosphere has changed remarkably," adding, "We are also planning to allow shorts during summer."

While pursuing change, Kang also expressed pride in the achievements the organization has accumulated. She said, "The organization has worked hard but has not received the recognition it deserves, which is unfair." She vowed, "I have been working frantically for the past year, but this year I will focus and produce results to clear this unfairness." The word 'unfair' appeared three times during the approximately one-hour interview.

-Career

▲ Born 1959 ▲ Bachelor’s in Economics, Sungkyunkwan University ▲ Master’s and Ph.D. in Labor Economics, Sungkyunkwan University ▲ Senior Research Fellow, Korea Labor Institute (1988?2012) ▲ Director, Central Employment Information Service (2003?2006) ▲ Labor and Employment Policy Secretary, Presidential Secretariat (2006?2008) ▲ President, Korean Association for Vocational Qualifications (2013?2015) ▲ President, Korean Labor Economics Association (2015?2016) ▲ President, Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (2020?Present)

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