Newly Elected Head of Minju Nochong, Yang Kyung-soo... Expect Strengthened 'Political Struggle'

Yang Kyung-soo, the current chairman, was elected as the next chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). This is the first time that a chairman has been re-elected in the history of the KCTU. Since Chairman Yang has consistently called for the resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, it is expected that the KCTU's stance on 'political struggle' will be strengthened.

Yang Kyung-soo, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the KCTU on the 28th, in the election for the 11th leadership held from the 21st to the 27th, candidate Yang received 363,246 votes (56.61%), defeating candidate Park Hee-eun, who received 201,218 votes (31.36%), and was elected chairman. The chairman represents the KCTU and oversees its operations. The chairman also has the authority to appoint and dismiss members of affiliated organizations, standing committees, special committees, the secretariat, and affiliated institutions. The senior vice chairman and secretary-general, who ran as Yang’s running mates, are Lee Tae-hwan, head of the Public Transport Workers’ Union Airport and Harbor Transport Headquarters, and Ko Mi-kyung, former planning director of the KCTU, respectively. They will lead the KCTU together for the next three years starting January of next year.

From his victory speech, Chairman Yang clearly emphasized strengthening the stance of confrontation against the government. He said, "Let’s end the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and build a new hope for workers. It is clear that as long as the Yoon Seok-yeol administration continues, our suffering will only increase. The resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is the demand of all the people living in the present." During the election campaign, Yang also pledged to build a labor-centered progressive coalition party for the general election in April next year and to develop the current KCTU-led 'Movement Headquarters for the Resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol Administration' into a nationwide resignation struggle.

With the first re-election of a chairman, the KCTU is showing a mood to raise the level of political struggle. Since the KCTU was founded in 1995, this is the first time a chairman has been re-elected. Lee Seon-gyu, chairman of the KCTU Central Election Commission, said, "I hope that the elected Chairman Yang will open a square for the resignation of Yoon Seok-yeol." The KCTU’s 'NL (National Liberation) hegemonism' also appears to be solidifying further. Chairman Yang is from the NL faction, specifically the Gyeonggi Eastern Federation, and is affiliated with the 'National Council,' the largest faction within the KCTU. He was a student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Yongin Campus, class of 1995, and served as student council president in 2001. Except for former chairman Han Sang-gyun, elected in 2014, the NL faction has been dominant in the KCTU. Candidate Park was supported by the PD (People’s Democracy) faction 'National Rally' but felt the difference in votes as Yang secured a majority.

Chairman Yang served as the head of the in-house subcontractor branch of the Kia Motors Hwaseong branch of the Metal Workers’ Union in 2012. He later served as head of the Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters and was elected chairman of the 10th leadership. In July 2021, the first year of his term, he was arrested on charges including violating quarantine guidelines after holding a large-scale nationwide workers’ rally during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he was released in November of the same year after being sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation.

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