Gwangju City Moves to Prevent Wage Arrears at Construction Sites Ahead of Chuseok

Joint Inspection Teams Formed, Investigations Through October 2
Wage Arrears Reporting Center Operated... Encouraging Early Payment Before the Holiday

Gwangju City Hall exterior view.

To ensure that construction workers can enjoy a warm Chuseok holiday, Gwangju City is taking proactive measures to prevent wage arrears at construction sites.

On September 18, Gwangju City announced that it has designated the period until October 2 as a “Special Countermeasure Period for Preventing Wage Arrears at Construction Sites,” during which the city will make every effort to prevent and resolve wage arrears.

This initiative is linked to the government’s special guidance period for the concentrated settlement of wage arrears ahead of Chuseok. It aims to stabilize the lives of citizens and revitalize the local construction industry by preventing wage arrears at construction sites.

The city will form joint inspection teams with relevant organizations, including the Gwangju branch of the Korea Specialty Contractors Association, to visit local construction sites and investigate the status of wage arrears. For any confirmed cases of unpaid wages, the city will guide prompt settlement to ensure workers are paid quickly. In particular, the city will strengthen management and supervision of illegal subcontracting, which is one of the main causes of wage arrears in the construction industry, and will work to eradicate such illegal practices.

A wage arrears reporting center will be operated at construction sites, and upon receiving a report, the city will conduct investigations in cooperation with the relevant contracting departments and the Ministry of Employment and Labor. If any violations are found, administrative measures will be taken. Additionally, the city will encourage the prompt payment of construction fees to ensure that workers receive their wages before Chuseok.

Wi Gahwan, head of the Construction Administration Division, stated, “We will do our utmost to ensure that local construction workers, who are already facing economic difficulties due to the sluggish construction market, do not suffer further hardships from wage arrears.”

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