Hong Jun-pyo Holds Meeting with Korean Confederation of Trade Unions... "Hoping for Cooperation to Advance Labor Reform"

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, who declared his non-participation in the Economic, Social and Labor Council, met with the chairpersons of the Korea Federation of Trade Unions (KCTU) from across the country and stated, "I hope the government and KCTU can cooperate with each other to undertake labor reform."

Mayor Hong attended a policy meeting held at the KCTU Daegu headquarters on the afternoon of the 13th. He said, "(It is) undesirable for the government to have an antagonistic stance against KCTU," adding, "I will not hesitate to play a role in conveying KCTU's position to the government and helping to resolve any misunderstandings between both sides."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued, "KCTU is the cradle of the Korean labor movement and the industrial workforce that has endured hardships until South Korea became an advanced country," and said, "Although the chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council and the Minister of Labor are making efforts, I also have long experience and involvement in labor policy, so I think I can be of some help in resolving this issue."

Kim Dong-myung, Chairman of KCTU, said, "I also need good friends rather than bad ones, and I appreciate that Mayor Hong has offered to be a good friend," adding, "Rather than action for action, I wonder if we could resolve problems through dialogue. I hope the government does not make things harder for workers."

Earlier, on the 8th, Mayor Hong wrote on Facebook, "KCTU is a good friend when we meet," and "I hope the government does not let go of the thread of dialogue and actively engages in communication."

KCTU had decided on the 7th to completely suspend participation in the Economic, Social and Labor Council, claiming that the police had harshly suppressed Kim Jun-young, Secretary General of the Metal Workers' Union Federation, who was conducting a high-altitude protest.

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