Gu Yun-cheol, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, "A Crucial Time for Daily Recovery... Request to Refrain from Minnochoong Rally"

Presiding Over the Vice Ministers' Meeting of Related Ministries on the 14th
Attendance by Ministry of Employment, Ministry of Land, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Welfare, National Police Agency, Ministry of the Interior, and Inhyeokcheo

Koo Yoon-chul, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Koo Yoon-cheol, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, chaired a vice ministerial meeting of related ministries on the 14th and said, "At a critical time when the people, who have suffered from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, are preparing to restore daily life after a long period of patience, holding large-scale rallies raises serious concerns about a resurgence of COVID-19 given the current situation where around 2,000 confirmed cases occur daily." He added, "To establish a future-oriented labor-management and government-labor relationship, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) should make a magnanimous decision to refrain from rallies and demonstrate to the public a problem-solving approach through dialogue."

The vice ministerial meeting held at 9 a.m. that day, presided over by Minister Koo, was attended by vice ministers from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency, and directors from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Personnel Management, among others, to discuss response measures by each ministry. Earlier, the KCTU had declared its intention to proceed with a general strike on the 7th. The government plans to pre-assess related issues and the ripple effects by industry and sector to respond effectively.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the meeting reviewed countermeasures in sectors such as education and logistics services, considering these areas might temporarily inconvenience the public due to the general strike. The Prime Minister's Office explained, "In particular, by preparing preemptive measures for vulnerable sectors such as school meals, childcare, and special education, we aim to minimize inconvenience to students and parents, and strengthen quarantine management to prevent a rapid resurgence of COVID-19."

Minister Koo emphasized, "The government guarantees the basic labor rights of public officials and teachers but will strictly deal with illegal collective actions such as violations of service regulations and quarantine rules," and urged related ministries, "Please ensure that public officials in civil service offices adhere to working hours so that there is no disruption in providing services to the public."

He requested, "Efforts should be made to resolve issues such as improving lunch break hours for public officials from noon to 1 p.m. through dialogue, including collective bargaining with the government and local governments," and added, "Especially, please thoroughly manage teachers' attendance to ensure students' right to learn is guaranteed at all levels of schools."

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