Governor Kim Dong-yeon "Serious Concerns Over Government's Anti-Labor Policies"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is delivering a congratulatory speech at the '2022 Gyeonggi Labor Family Year-end Night' event on the 14th. Photo by Gyeonggi Provincial Government

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, expressed serious concerns about the current government's anti-labor policies and neoliberal policies.

On the 14th, Governor Kim attended the '2022 Gyeonggi Labor Family Year-end Night' event held at the Gyeonggi Comprehensive Labor Welfare Center in Suwon, where he conveyed gratitude and encouragement to workers and their families in the province.

In his congratulatory speech, Governor Kim stated, "Although South Korea's economy has grown remarkably, we must look at the shadows hidden behind the light," adding, "Only when the deep shadows hidden behind the light are resolved and we work together to solve these problems can sustainable development be possible."

He pointed to the shadows cast behind economic growth as ▲polarization ▲the highest suicide rate ▲secondary harm caused by failure to reflect on the October 29 disaster ▲anti-labor acts and policies.

Regarding the meaning of qualitative growth, Governor Kim emphasized, "For South Korea's economy to grow dynamically, all sectors contributing to growth must contribute evenly. It is not acceptable for exports to do well while domestic demand dies, for large corporations to do well while small and medium enterprises do not, or for business owners to do well while workers do not," stressing qualitative growth where the fruits of growth are evenly distributed.

He then questioned, "What is our current situation?" and criticized, "The current government only emphasizes the light to revive economic dynamism but neglects or overlooks the shadows, which are more structural problems."

He also expressed, "I have serious concerns about the current government's anti-labor policies and neoliberal policies," and worried, "The more difficult the economy becomes, the more likely vulnerable groups, small business owners, SMEs, and workers will suffer first."

Therefore, Governor Kim promised, "At least starting with Gyeonggi Province, we will respond first, take preemptive measures, and do our best to achieve sustainable growth."

He continued, "I have been a worker since I was 17 years old. At that time, I lacked awareness, was young, and still vividly remember the various unfair treatments and inappropriate working conditions I experienced in my first social life," introducing his youth, and added, "Although I later joined the vested interests, my consistent thought has been to break the vested interest cartel and provide more, better, and more equitable opportunities to the residents and the people."

Meanwhile, the '2022 Gyeonggi Labor Family Year-end Night' event, held for the first time in three years due to COVID-19, was created to comfort and encourage not only workers who worked hard in industrial sites throughout the year but also their families. Following the commemorative ceremony, through celebratory performances and dinner, representatives of labor, management, and government and labor families wrapped up the year together and encouraged each other.

Gyeonggi Province supports communication among labor, management, and government and the creation of a safe working environment to promote labor welfare through ▲operation of the Labor-Management-Government Council ▲support for labor welfare promotion projects ▲operation of labor safety keepers ▲visiting industrial accident prevention education, among other initiatives.

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