Yoon Cracks Down on Unions Daily, Mentioning "Bribery and Hiring" to Say "Must Eradicate" (Comprehensive)

President Yoon Chairs Cabinet Meeting: "Entrenched Unions Demand Money and Jobs"
Orders Crackdown on Illegal Activities Following Union Account Scandal... "Public and Private Sectors Must Join"
Labor Reform Begins with Message to Establish 'Rule of Law in Labor Relations'... "Concerns Over Public Harm"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 21st stated, "Focus on inspecting and cracking down on illegal activities at construction sites." He specifically mentioned the demands for money and employment by strong vested-interest labor unions, emphasizing that "the damage is being passed on to the public." Following his directive for firm measures against the refusal to disclose union accounting transparency, he has now pointed out illegal activities occurring on-site.

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon presided over a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office building, saying, "If violence and illegal acts at construction sites are neglected despite reports, it cannot be called a nation," and urged, "Public institutions and private associations should also participate in eradicating illegal activities."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held on the 21st at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In particular, President Yoon targeted strong vested-interest labor unions, pointing out that "illegal acts such as demands for money, forced employment, and obstruction of construction are being openly carried out." He explained, "As a result, workers are losing their jobs, and construction is becoming substandard," adding, "The damage is being passed on to the public, such as delays in the opening of elementary schools and the move-in of new apartments."

Continuing from the previous day, he reiterated at the Cabinet meeting, "The starting point of labor reform is strengthening the transparency of union accounting." The day before, after receiving a report from Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik on the 'status of keeping and preserving accounting books,' President Yoon stated, "Regarding acts that deny the rule of law and refuse to disclose usage details while using thousands of billions of won in government subsidies funded by taxpayers, firm measures must be taken." On this day, he criticized, "Despite utilizing more than 150 billion won in government subsidies over the past five years funded by taxpayers, the unions have not submitted accounting books and are resisting systematically," urging relevant ministries to promptly push forward related legislation.

President Yoon's continued strong remarks targeting labor unions are based on the judgment that the unions' chronic illegal activities are shaking the very foundation of the industry. His repeated mentions that "without securing union accounting transparency, fair labor market reform cannot be achieved" are in the same context.

Going forward, the Presidential Office and the government plan to conduct detailed inspections of illegal activities such as forced employment and employment trading by labor unions. On the 7th, President Yoon met with public officials in their 20s and 30s at the Government Complex Sejong and said, "If the government neglects illegal acts such as the children of union executives being hired in industrial sites and employment trading with the remaining positions, private managers will be unable to do anything," and questioned, "If illegalities rooted in industrial sites are left unchecked, can that be called a government?"

Despite labor unions' backlash calling it 'labor oppression,' the Presidential Office's stance remains firm. The demands repeatedly emphasized by the labor sector, such as 'eradication of unfair labor practices,' 'eradication of unpaid wages,' and 'eradication of unpaid labor,' are also viewed as user oppression. A Presidential Office official said, "The core of government labor reform is to eradicate illegal acts by both unions and employers and to apply laws and principles without exception."

In the future, the Presidential Office and the government are expected to continuously publicize the results of inspections into union illegal activities. This is to emphasize the inevitability of labor reform and maximize public consensus. During last year's Cargo Truckers Solidarity strike, President Yoon's 'principled stance' became the driving force behind government reform.

There is also an interpretation that this move aims to regain recently faltering approval ratings. Although there was a rebound last week, President Yoon's approval ratings had stalled due to controversy over interference in the People Power Party leadership election, so he plans to focus on livelihood issues and distance himself from political controversies. President Yoon has also scheduled an export strategy meeting for this week. He intends to personally oversee plans to expand agricultural and fishery product exports and strategies for the K-content industry, carefully reviewing not only last year's export performance but also this year's export strategy. A Presidential Office official stated, "The start of reform is securing transparency and breaking the cycle of repeated illegalities," adding, "Core national tasks of the Yoon administration, including labor reform, will be pursued in accordance with laws, principles, and the voices of the people."

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