9 out of 10 Koreans Say "Illegal Acts Are Not Acceptable Even in Union Activities"

Korea Employers Federation Announces Results of Public Awareness Survey

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Nine out of ten South Koreans responded that even if it is a labor union activity, illegal acts should not be allowed.

The Korea Employers Federation (KEF) announced on the 20th the results of a "Public Perception Survey on Labor Unions and Labor Movements in South Korea," conducted with 1,000 general public respondents.

First, regarding recent illegal acts such as workplace occupation and high-altitude sit-ins at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Hite Jinro, the survey asked for opinions. The results showed that 67.5% said, "I understand the demands of the labor unions, but illegal acts should not be committed," and 22.3% said, "It is collective selfishness, and illegal acts should never be tolerated," totaling 89.8% who responded that illegal acts should not be allowed even if it is labor union activity.

When asked how the new government is responding to illegal acts such as workplace occupation and high-altitude sit-ins by labor unions, 58.4% of respondents answered that the response is "passive and lukewarm."

Public perception of labor unions and labor movements in South Korea was recorded as "very negative" by 13.7% and "somewhat negative" by 42.4%, totaling 56.1% of respondents perceiving them negatively.

Among those with a negative perception of labor unions and labor movements, the reasons given were: "illegal assemblies, workplace occupation, and other illegal acts" at 44.7%, "focus only on vested interests" at 27.6%, "moral hazards such as personnel solicitation and union fee embezzlement" at 15.3%, and "political claims such as opposition to the Korea-US FTA and suspension of Korea-US military exercises" at 10.3%.

Regarding the behavior of labor movements such as rallies and strikes by South Korean labor unions, 21.5% responded "very radical" and 42.3% "somewhat radical," indicating that 63.8% of respondents perceive South Korean labor movements as radical.

Jang Sung-woo, Head of the Labor-Management Cooperation Division at KEF, stated, "This survey confirmed the public’s negative perception of the extreme labor movement methods recently seen at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Hite Jinro." He also pointed out, "Since the combative labor movements and illegal acts of South Korean labor unions are major causes of weakening labor-management relations competitiveness, establishing the rule of law in industrial sites is urgent." He emphasized, "For this, it is necessary for labor unions themselves to strive to transform into rational labor movements, along with the government’s swift and principled response to illegal acts."

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