Yoon Administration's First Tripartite Dialogue... Full-Scale Discussion on Demographic Changes and More

The Main Committee Meeting of the Tripartite Commission
Discussion on Sustainable Jobs, Work-Life Balance, and Demographic Changes

Representatives of labor, management, and government gathered to engage in social dialogue aimed at creating sustainable jobs, enhancing work-life balance, and responding to demographic changes.

The Economic, Social and Labor Council (hereinafter referred to as the ESLC), a dialogue channel directly under the President, held its 13th plenary session on the morning of the 6th. This was the first in-person meeting of the ESLC’s highest decision-making body since the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

Labor-management-government dialogue, which had been suspended after the start of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, resumed following the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ (KCTU) declaration of return last November, with discussions continuing through ten deputy representative meetings and others. The plenary session consists of 17 members, including Kim Moon-soo, chairman of the ESLC, and Kim Deok-ho, standing member; four government members including Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, and Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor; four worker representatives including Kim Dong-myeong, chairman of the KCTU; five employer representatives including Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation; and four public interest members.

At this plenary session, the labor-management-government representatives resolved to establish the 'Special Committee for Sustainable Jobs and Future Generations,' the 'Work-Life Balance Committee,' and the 'Committee for Responding to Demographic Changes and Continued Employment.' This decision came after the past two to three months of narrowing differences among deputy representatives including Lee Seong-hee, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, Standing Member Kim, Ryu Gi-seop, Secretary General of the KCTU, and Lee Dong-geun, Vice Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation.

Kim Moon-soo, Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, is responding to lawmakers' questions at the Environment and Labor Committee's audit held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The 'Special Committee for Sustainable Jobs and Future Generations' will address agendas such as resolving employment insecurity caused by industrial transformation, eliminating unfairness and gaps in the dual labor market structure, protecting vulnerable groups including platform workers, and establishing cooperative labor-management relations over a period of 6 to 9 months.

Given the broad scope of the agendas covered by the special committee, there is a possibility that additional discussions will continue even after the committee’s activity period ends. Standing Member Kim explained, "Because the content is extensive, urgent matters will not be agreed upon all at once; instead, discussions will proceed step-by-step to extract specific agendas."

The 'Work-Life Balance Committee' will discuss reducing working hours and increasing flexibility to resolve long working hours, protecting workers’ health rights, and improving working methods. The 'Continued Employment Committee' will discuss extending retirement age, reforming wage systems, expanding labor market participation of middle-aged and older workers, and fostering coexistence between youth and the elderly. The activity period for the Work-Life Balance Committee and the Continued Employment Committee is 1 to 2 years. These committees are expected to begin full-scale discussions from the end of this month after finalizing their membership.

Prior to the plenary session, labor, management, and government signed a declaration on the 'Principles and Directions of Social Dialogue for Sustainable Jobs and Future Generations.' They shared the recognition that joint efforts by labor, management, and government are necessary to create quality jobs and a sustainable labor market to overcome rapid environmental changes and structural crises such as low birth rates and aging population.

The declaration includes agreements to improve awareness, practices, and systems for work-life balance through social dialogue, establish an employment and labor system responding to demographic changes, and devise solutions for creating jobs for future generations to ensure sustainability.

At the plenary session, six new members were also appointed due to term expirations and other reasons. Representatives of young and non-regular workers include Han Da-seu-ri, chairperson of the Korean International Health and Medical Foundation Labor Union, and Park Hyun-ho, director of the Gyeonggi Non-regular Workers Support Center. For small business employer representatives, Yoo Ki-jun, senior vice chairman of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, was appointed. Public interest members appointed include Heo Jae-jun, president of the Korea Labor Institute; Kwon Hye-won, professor of business administration at Dongduk Women’s University; and Park Ji-soon, professor at Korea University Law School.

The ESLC plans to complete the composition of committees by agenda soon, starting with this plenary session. Chairman Kim said, "In the complex crisis situation involving the economy, security, and demographics, genuine dialogue among labor, management, and government is absolutely necessary to overcome the crisis."

Chairman Sohn said, "I hope that social dialogue will discuss ways to enhance economic vitality and enable our companies to gain global competitiveness," adding, "Rational institutional improvements such as expanding flexibility in working hours, reemployment-centered continued employment policies, and reforming wage systems based on job performance are necessary."

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