Death of Seoul National University Cleaning Worker → Lee Jae-myung's Tears → Letter to National Assembly Urging 'Guarantee of Rest Rights for Vulnerable Workers'

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has requested the National Assembly to amend the law to guarantee rest rights for vulnerable workers such as cleaners and security guards. This comes three days after Governor Lee visited the site where a cleaning worker at Seoul National University passed away on the 11th and offered condolences to the bereaved family. He also proposed institutional improvements to block illegal changes of use in residential lodging facilities.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 15th that Governor Lee sent a letter titled "Securing Rest Facilities for Security Guards and Preventing Illegal Changes of Use in Residential Lodging Facilities" to members of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 14th.

In the letter, Governor Lee stated, "A few days ago, a worker responsible for cleaning at Seoul National University was found dead in a dormitory lounge," and added, "Whether there was excessive work instruction from the manager will be revealed through transparent procedures, but the working environment for cleaning workers remains poor."

He continued, "Many workers perform essential tasks for our lives but cannot properly rest at workplaces that lack even basic rest facilities."

Governor Lee also introduced policies currently being promoted by Gyeonggi Province to improve rest facilities for vulnerable workers in labor blind spots.

He explained, "We have amended the 'Regulations on Housing Construction Standards, etc.' to mandate the installation of rest facilities for workers such as security guards engaged in management tasks in apartment complexes with 50 or more households, and we have also prepared a standard regulation for managing rest facilities for workers in Gyeonggi Province and the public sector."

He added, "In the private sector, we provide recommendations and publicity through workplace consulting and worker education. When granting preliminary approval for building permits, we recommend securing rest facilities for vulnerable workers such as cleaners and security guards on the ground floor from the planning stage for new large buildings."

Governor Lee emphasized, "However, improving rest facilities for vulnerable workers such as cleaners and security guards is not only an issue for apartment complexes and the public sector. There are many vulnerable workers in various buildings such as office facilities, cultural and assembly facilities, and educational and research facilities, and to properly guarantee their right to rest, related laws must be amended."

Earlier, on the 8th, through a Facebook post titled "No One Is Born to Be Sad," Governor Lee expressed, "(Regarding the death of cleaning worker Mr. Lee at Seoul National University) I hope the news is not true," and said, "Seeing the photo of Mr. Lee’s answer sheet, written crookedly while taking an unrelated test, brings a lump to my throat."

He particularly noted, "(This incident) is not just the problem of a malicious specific manager," diagnosing it as "a deeply rooted dual structure of labor, a workplace where people can mistreat others, and a structural problem of society that allows it."

On the 11th, Governor Lee visited the accident site where Mr. Lee died, offered condolences to the bereaved family, and shed tears.

The day after the site visit, on the 12th, Governor Lee shared on Facebook, "Upon hearing the news of the death of cleaning worker Mr. Lee at Seoul National University dormitory, I thought of my younger sister," and revealed a heartbreaking family story: "She worked as a cleaning worker on site until the day she passed away, saying she would not rely on her older brother. Even on the day she collapsed, she was working early in the morning."

Meanwhile, Governor Lee also pointed out the issue of illegal changes of use in residential lodging facilities in the letter sent that day.

He noted, "Residential lodging facilities are accommodations and business facilities targeting long-term guests such as tourists and business travelers, but since they can be sold by unit and have cooking facilities, it is difficult to crack down even if they are actually used as housing."

He added, "Among multi-homeowners, residential lodging facilities are popular as tax-saving investment products because they are not counted as housing. They also have fewer parking spaces than regular apartments and no obligation to build public facilities such as elementary schools for children."

Governor Lee argued that although these facilities are practically similar to apartments, they are designated as lodging facilities to avoid various regulations, thereby encouraging real estate speculation and indiscriminate development.

He said, "To improve these issues, Gyeonggi Province has prepared and recommended the 'Gyeonggi Province Residential Lodging Facility Construction Standards (Draft)' and included residential lodging facilities in the preliminary approval targets for building permits through amendments to the building ordinance."

However, Governor Lee earnestly requested the relevant standing committees of the National Assembly, saying, "To fundamentally prevent the illegal conversion of residential lodging facilities for residential use, amendments to the relevant laws on building sales are necessary. Prohibiting individual sales of residential lodging facilities is needed to protect innocent buyers and solve urban problems."

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