President Lee Jae Myung met Friday with Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) President Yang Kyung-soo and other leaders at Cheong Wa Dae to exchange views on protecting workers' rights. Lee highlighted pitfalls in a law requiring employers to convert non-regular workers to permanent status after two years. Yang gave a positive assessment of some administration labor policies while demanding a sharp minimum wage increase.
President Lee Jae Myung invited KCTU President Yang Kyung-soo and other leaders to Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, where they discussed protecting workers' rights. Lee addressed the shortcomings of a current law that mandates employers to hire non-regular workers as permanent employees after two years of service.
He noted that, despite its aim to promote permanent employment, the law has led employers to cap contracts at one year and 11 months. "I would like us to come up with a realistic solution," Lee said. "A law meant to protect (workers) has effectively become a law mandating their neglect."
Yang offered a positive assessment of some administration labor policies. He demanded a sharp increase in the minimum wage, mandatory assessments of artificial intelligence's impact on labor, and improvements to working conditions for non-regular workers in the public sector.
The meeting signals ongoing dialogue between the government and labor groups on workforce reforms.
