Ministry of Land to Launch Joint Public-Private Inspections for Payment Delays at Construction Sites...108 Sites in Seoul Metropolitan Area to Be Inspected

Joint Inspection with the Ministry of Employment and Labor

Focus on Illegal Subcontracting and Wage Arrears

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on May 7 that it will conduct a joint inspection with relevant agencies to resolve payment delays at construction sites and protect the rights of workers and equipment operators.

According to the Ministry, starting from May 11, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Gyeonggi Provincial Government, and the Korea Construction Equipment Association will conduct joint inspections of a total of 108 sites in the Seoul metropolitan area. These include 96 sites suspected of illegal subcontracting and 12 sites reported for payment delays.

The Asia Business Daily DB

During this inspection, each participating agency will utilize its expertise to focus on cracking down on illegal subcontracting, unpaid construction fees, equipment rental fees, and wage arrears, with a particular emphasis on addressing unfair practices at construction sites.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Gyeonggi Provincial Government will focus on investigating illegal subcontracting. If any violations are detected, administrative measures such as business suspension and fines will be imposed. Depending on the severity of the case, criminal charges may also be pursued.

The Ministry and the Korea Construction Equipment Association will cross-verify whether equipment rental fees have been delayed at construction sites and will monitor cases where small-scale equipment operators have not been paid. They also plan to investigate any unfair practices related to monthly payments to tower crane operators at construction sites.

Furthermore, because illegal subcontracting sites are more likely to experience serious industrial accidents or wage arrears, site inspections will be carried out with labor inspectors from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, focusing on construction sites of contractors with a history of serious accidents or payment delays.

Lee Tak Kim, First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "As disputes between construction companies and workers over unpaid construction fees and wage arrears are increasing due to worsening domestic and international conditions, the government will actively support the resolution of payment delays and normalization at construction sites in cooperation with relevant agencies." He added, "For illegal subcontracting, wage arrears, and unpaid machinery rental fees, investigations and sanctions will be carried out in accordance with relevant laws and regulations."

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