First Tripartite Leaders' Meeting Under Yoon Administration... Initiating Restoration of Social Dialogue

The Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC) officially launched a regular dialogue channel among labor, management, and government on March 26 to restore trust and strengthen cooperation.

Kim Dongmyung, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (from left), Kim Jihyung, Chairman of the Economic and Social Labor Council, Sohn Kyungshik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, and Kim Younghun, Minister of Employment and Labor, are taking a commemorative photo at the 1st Tripartite Meeting held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on March 26, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

The ESLC announced that it held the "1st Tripartite Meeting" at the Press Center in Seoul this morning. This meeting is a follow-up measure to the "Tripartite Joint Declaration" issued on March 19, coinciding with the launch of the first term of the ESLC. It marks the first concrete step to realize the restoration of social dialogue and pursuit of a grand compromise, as outlined in the declaration.

The declaration at the time stated, "Labor, management, and government will fully restore social dialogue as a social and democratic pathway to overcome complex crises and pursue a grand compromise to establish a model of mutual cooperation during a period of great transition." It also declared, "To this end, representatives of labor, management, and government will build mutual trust through regular meetings and promptly prepare practical measures to overcome crises."

Kim Dongmyung, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (from left), Kim Jihyung, Chairman of the Economic and Social Labor Council, Sohn Kyungshik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, and Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, are taking a commemorative photo at the 1st Tripartite Meeting held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on March 26, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

Attendees at the meeting included Chairman Kim Jihyung of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, Kim Dongmyung, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, Sohn Kyungshik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, and Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor.

Since this was their first meeting, the participants discussed the fundamental principles, operation methods, and the name of future gatherings. They agreed to develop the meeting into a consultative body that builds trust through open and candid discussions, unconstrained by formality. In particular, they reached a consensus on the need to coordinate even the most contentious labor-management issues through regular communication.

Chairman Ji-Hyung Kim of the Economic, Social and Labor Council (left) is speaking at the 1st tripartite meeting held on the 26th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. From the left: Chairman Kim, Chairman Dong-Myung Kim of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, Chairman Kyung-Sik Son of the Korea Employers Federation, Minister Young-Hoon Kim of Employment and Labor, and Standing Member Jeong-Han Lee of the Economic, Social and Labor Council. 2026.3.26 Yonhap News
Photo by Yonhap News

Chairman Kim stated, "Unlike previous representative meetings, today's gathering will be a process of building trust through open dialogue," adding, "We will create a platform for coexistence based on thorough debate and mutual understanding." He further emphasized, "Given the current complex crises, it is highly significant that labor, management, and government are embarking on a journey to discuss the future of the community together."

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