KCTU Secretary-General "Bloodshed Suppression... Doubtful Recognition of Workers as Dialogue Partner"

Ryu Gisub, Secretary General of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, CBS Interview

Ryu Gi-seop, Secretary General of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), said, "It seems the government views workers not as partners in dialogue but as entities to be subdued," adding, "The anger on the ground has reached its peak."

In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 8th, Secretary General Ryu explained the reason behind the FKTU's decision the previous day to completely withdraw from the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC), a tripartite social dialogue body directly under the president.

On the 2nd, Kim Dong-myeong, the chairman, along with officials from the Korean Federation of Trade Unions, held a press conference in front of the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Agency to condemn the police crackdown on Kim Jun-young, the secretary-general of the Metal Workers' Union, who was conducting a high-altitude protest on a 7-meter tall steel structure (watchtower) installed on the road in front of the Gwangyang Steelworks in Jeonnam on the 31st of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Secretary General Ryu stated that the decisive trigger for the FKTU's decision was the police's violent crackdown on Kim Jun-young, Secretary General of the Metal Workers' Union under the FKTU, last month.

He said, "The government claims that the violent crackdown on Metal Workers' Union officials was a legitimate law enforcement action, but it is true that illegal acts by employers in the labor field have been met with silence until now," adding, "Seeing situations like a violent crackdown just one day after a high-altitude sit-in protest raises serious doubts about whether workers are truly recognized as partners in dialogue."

He continued, "The FKTU has endured and been patient even when issues such as the extension of working hours represented by 69 hours per week, transparency in accounting, and suspension of government subsidies arose," emphasizing, "The tripartite body should sit down and seriously discuss these issues, but throwing out answers first and then demanding 'submit' or 'accept' makes such dialogue meaningless."

He further stressed, "The key issue is whether the willingness for social dialogue maintains a certain balance between labor and management."

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