Lee Jeong-han, Chair of YeoGyeongHyup, "President-elect Yoon, Please Let Entrepreneurs Enjoy Their Business"

Small and Medium Enterprises Struggle with Workforce Shortage... Succession of Family Businesses Also Uncertain
"Serious Accident Punishment Act, Labor and Management Should Share Industrial Accident Responsibility"
"Labor and Management Must Win-Win... Operate Flexible Labor Policies"

Lee Jeong-han, President of the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association / Siheung = Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Lee Jeong-han, president of the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association, requested President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol on the 10th to "establish policies and systems that allow entrepreneurs to conduct business enthusiastically." Specifically, she suggested easing the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and reforming the foreign worker employment system.

In a phone interview with Asia Economy on the morning of the 10th, President Lee emphasized, "Looking at the election results, it seems the public wanted change," and added, "It should be a world where hardworking and diligent entrepreneurs receive fair treatment."

She advised, "We should avoid labor-centered policies going too far ahead and balance so that business owners and workers can 'win-win' and move forward together."

First, she appealed for the chronic labor shortage in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the need to reform the foreign worker employment permit system. She stated that while the government's pro-labor policies might be favorable to many workers, they have caused side effects that hinder business activities for entrepreneurs.

President Lee lamented, "Employers strive to provide necessary working conditions such as lodging and meals to foreign workers and train them as skilled workers, but since foreign worker communities are highly developed, they often move all at once to workplaces that pay even slightly higher wages." She added, "While restricting workplace changes, if employers treat workers unfairly, the issue should be resolved through labor office reporting procedures."

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is speaking at the 'Small and Medium Business Policy Vision Presentation' event held at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 14th of last month. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

She also argued that the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which focuses on punishing employers, needs improvement. She said, "For SMEs like ours, it is difficult to even hire safety and health experts," and stated, "In cases where industrial accidents occur due to worker negligence, responsibility should be shared between labor and management."

She requested a reduction in inheritance tax, citing significant difficulties in business succession for SMEs in foundational industries. President Lee appealed, "SMEs are facing increasingly shrinking margins and poor investment conditions, and excessive inheritance tax makes it difficult to pass businesses on to their children."

She added, "So far, SME entrepreneurs have devoted themselves wholeheartedly to building their companies, but various regulations and policies that constrain businesses make them operate without spirit."

Finally, she said, "Amid unstable domestic and international circumstances, this is a crucial moment that will determine whether our economy moves forward or stops," and expressed hope that "labor policies such as the 52-hour workweek system will be operated flexibly, and that in the legislative process, in-depth discussions with entrepreneurs will take place."

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