Ministry of Employment Proposes Dismissal of Detained Minimum Wage Commission Worker Member Kim Jun-young

Dismissal Recommendation of Worker Representative, First Since the Establishment of the Minimum Wage Commission

On the afternoon of the 8th, at the 3rd plenary meeting held in the Minimum Wage Commission meeting room at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City, a placard condemning police excessive force was placed in the seat of Kim Jun-young, a worker representative and executive deputy head of the Korean Metal Workers' Union Federation of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has decided to dismiss Kim Jun-young, Secretary General of the Korean Metal Workers' Federation (Geumsolnoryeon) under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, from the Workers' Committee of the Minimum Wage Commission by official order due to allegations of wielding a weapon during the suppression of a protest.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 21st, "We have officially requested the dismissal of Kim Jun-young, Secretary General and a worker member of the Minimum Wage Commission, who was arrested on the 31st of last month on charges including obstruction of special official duties, in accordance with the law."

It is reported that the Ministry requested President Yoon Suk-yeol to dismiss Secretary General Kim on the same day.

According to the Ministry, Article 12 of the Enforcement Decree of the Minimum Wage Act stipulates that neglect of duty, damage to dignity, or other reasons deemed inappropriate for a member are grounds for dismissal from the Minimum Wage Commission.

This is the first time since the Minimum Wage Commission was established in 1987 that the Ministry has dismissed a worker member by official order.

The Ministry emphasized, "Kim's illegal protest and use of a weapon against the legitimate exercise of public authority is an illegal act that directly contradicts labor and management rule of law. This seriously damages the dignity expected of a worker member representing all workers in the minimum wage decision process, making him unfit to serve as a member."

The Ministry also explained, "We have repeatedly requested the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions to recommend a legally appropriate member to ensure the smooth progress of the 2024 minimum wage deliberations, but the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has not actively responded, which was also taken into consideration."

Secretary General Kim is accused of installing a 7-meter-high structure on the road in front of the Gwangyang Steelworks in Jeonnam and staging a high-altitude protest, during which he wielded a weapon to obstruct the police who were suppressing the protest on the 31st of last month.

In response, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions demanded at the 6th full meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission held the day before that Kim Man-jae, Chairman of the Metal Workers' Federation, be newly appointed as a worker member to replace Secretary General Kim, whose activities have become difficult due to his detention.

The labor sector is expected to strongly oppose the Ministry's official dismissal of Secretary General Kim. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has also declared its withdrawal from the Economic, Social and Labor Council, a tripartite social dialogue body, citing the police's harsh suppression of protests.

The Ministry stated on the same day, "As the statutory deadline for minimum wage deliberations approaches, we will minimize the impact on the deliberations by requesting the appointment of a new member simultaneously with the dismissal request."

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