Chairman Son Kyung-sik Urges Ruling Party to Actively Pursue Labor Reform

Sohn Kyung-shik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Sohn Kyung-shik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, asked the Democratic Party of Korea to actively promote the advancement of labor-management relations.

On the 31st, Chairman Sohn met with Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, at the National Assembly and said, "The most urgent issue we need to resolve is the advancement of labor-management relations."

He emphasized, "Since the labor movement became full-fledged in the 1980s, the rights and interests of workers and labor unions have been continuously strengthened, but it still remains confrontational and combative," adding, "Our labor movement, which has not changed, must show a new appearance."

He also pointed out that the current state of labor-management relations in Korea, evaluated as one of the lowest in the world, is the biggest obstacle to national competitiveness.

Chairman Sohn stated, "Recently, foreign investment in Korea has decreased, while overseas investment by our companies continues to increase," arguing, "That means we are losing jobs."

He continued, "In advanced countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom, the government has taken the lead in promoting labor reforms to overcome crises such as low growth rates and high unemployment," and said, "Now, we ask the government and the ruling party to take the lead and guide labor reform well."

He also requested attention to corporate tax issues and excessive criminal punishment of businesspeople.

Chairman Sohn said, "Since COVID-19, competing countries have been making great efforts to create a competitive business environment by easing corporate tax burdens," and urged, "First, please prepare support measures, including expanding investment tax credits, so that more bold investments can be made not only in semiconductors but also in promising industries such as future cars and bio."

He also pointed out, "There is also the issue of excessive criminal punishment of businesspeople," adding, "In particular, the crime of breach of trust has ambiguous and comprehensive elements of crime establishment, so businesspeople always face the risk of being punished for breach of trust in the course of management decisions."

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