Presidential Office: "Labor Union Activities Should Progress Legitimately Under Transparent Accounting"

Kim Eun-hye Chief "Will Firmly Respond to Union Illegality with Labor-Management Rule of Law"
Political Interpretation Cautioned on 3 Major Reforms' Necessity 'Eradicating Deep-rooted Evils' as "No Hesitation Allowed"
Senior Official "If Union Accounting Is Opaque, Union Members Cannot Be Guaranteed Their Rights"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The Presidential Office stated on the 21st, "Labor union activities can also develop more justly under transparent accounting." This comment relates to President Yoon Seok-yeol's identification of labor corruption as one of the three major corruptions, alongside public office and corporate corruption. While public offices and corporations undergo accounting audits, labor unions have not been subject to such checks, which can lead to corruption.

Regarding the necessity of reforms in labor, pensions, and education, and President Yoon's declaration that "deep-rooted evils must be eradicated," echoing the previous Moon Jae-in administration's slogan of 'eradication of deep-rooted evils' as a national governance principle, the Presidential Office cautioned against political overinterpretation, stating that "(deep-rooted evils are literally) accumulated malpractices."

Kim Eun-hye, the Presidential Office's Chief Public Relations Officer, emphasized during a briefing held at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon, "Unchecked power inevitably leads to corruption. Society will ultimately become a better Korea by strengthening accounting transparency, turning (companies) into global enterprises and enhancing transparency in our labor union accounting as well."

Earlier that day, President Yoon declared in his opening remarks at the 12th Emergency Economic and Livelihood Meeting and the 1st National Economic Advisory Meeting, held at the Blue House State Guesthouse, that next year would be the inaugural year for the three major reforms: labor, pension, and education. Among these, he reaffirmed that 'labor reform' is the most urgent task and plans to accelerate related legislation starting next year.

President Yoon stated, "The rule of law in labor-management relations is an unavoidable task to properly build and grow the nation," and urged, "To reduce inefficient disputes in labor-management relations and use those costs for workers' welfare, the rule of law in labor-management relations must be firmly established."

To realize the rule of law in labor-management relations, President Yoon believes it is necessary to improve the dual structure of the labor market, establish a rational compensation system, and change the exploitation system among labor groups. Chief Kim said, "President Yoon believes that respecting the value of workers can be answered with fair compensation," and added, "Labor unions themselves will see this as a power that grants legitimacy and morality to the union," calling for their participation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding President Yoon's emphasis that "we must now eradicate the wrong systems and deep-rooted evils that hinder our growth and development and initiate reforms to improve the system," the Presidential Office stressed that this is not a political interpretation but a necessary measure to address malpractices for the sake of future generations of the nation.

Chief Kim explained, "It was judged that we must not hesitate any longer on these reforms, which determine the fate of future generations," and added, "No matter the difficulties, there is a strong will to push forward these three major reforms." He further noted, "Among today's discussants, the most frequently mentioned point was the unyielding, sustainable reform," and added, "They requested a fundamental innovation of our economic system through the three major reforms and the creation of a fair labor market."

In response to a reporter's question, "It seems there is an assumption that labor unions are corrupt groups that have committed accounting fraud. What is the basis for this?" a senior official from the Presidential Office said, "As we have consistently stated, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration supports and backs the value of labor, workers' human rights, and the application of fair compensation," and emphasized, "Not the labor union as a whole, but if there are illegal acts, violence, and coercive power by so-called aristocratic unions defending vested interests that block young generations from entering the job market and make it harder for workers who are inevitably positioned as the weak in the dual labor market, we will firmly respond with the rule of law in labor-management relations."

He continued, "Regarding enhancing transparency, labor unions themselves are unlikely to oppose it," and added, "Even those called vested-interest or aristocratic unions may see transparency enhancement as an opportunity to restore the legitimacy and morality of the union itself. I believe there will be no unions that raise issues or oppose this."

On the reason for emphasizing transparency in union accounting, he said, "As reported, if workers themselves cannot know about the accounting of nearly 100 billion won in total, they cannot receive their rightful rights as union members," and added, "If accounting is handled separately and secretly, with no one able to verify it, even looking at cases in the US and UK, it is not a normal situation."

Regarding healthy labor-management relations through dialogue and compromise, he said, "In healthy and rational labor-management relations, disputes and negotiations should be conducted through dialogue and compromise between labor and management," and added, "However, the playing field must be level for every company. The government will manage so that the market operates under a fair competition system."

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