Kim Moon-soo "Police baton suppression, regrettable injuries but necessary action"

SBS 'Kim Taehyun's Political Show' Interview
"Agree with MZ Union Reorganization in Gyeongsanowi... Law Must Change"

Kim Moon-soo, Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC), commented on the violent suppression of the Metal Workers' Union executives, stating, "There are many regrettable aspects regarding whether it was necessary for them to get injured during the suppression process," but added, "It was something the police naturally had to do."

On the 15th, in an interview with SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' Kim responded this way when the host asked if it was police excessive force.

Kim Moon-soo, Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council.
Photo by Yonhap News

Kim explained that the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) declaring non-participation in the ESLC was "not because of us (ESLC) that the dialogue was halted," and said, "It was due to issues arising from the arrest of Metal Workers' Union Chairman Kim Man-jae and Secretary-General Kim Jun-young and the suppression process, which has nothing to do with the ESLC, so there are no demands directed at us."

Regarding the discussions within the ruling party about reorganizing the ESLC centered on the MZ generation rather than the KCTU and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), he said, "I agree," and explained, "Currently, the workers in the KCTU and FKTU are mostly at the very top levels, while the vast majority 86% of workers in small and medium subcontractors and irregular workers have no labor unions and no way to represent their voices."

However, he added, "There is currently a law governing the Economic, Social and Labor Council, and since the council was formed according to this law, even if there is such an idea, it cannot be implemented immediately; to change it, the National Assembly must amend the law."

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