President Lee Jae-myung will host a Labor Day event on Friday at Cheong Wa Dae with South Korea's two major umbrella labor unions. It marks the first such event at the presidential office and the first joint participation by unions from different political spectrums. Around 120 participants from labor, management, government, and diverse occupations will attend.
The presidential office announced on April 30 that President Lee Jae-myung will host a Labor Day commemorative event on May 1 at Cheong Wa Dae with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. This is the first Labor Day event at the presidential office and the first time both unions from different political spectrums participate together.
The event will gather around 120 participants, including key figures from labor, management, and government, as well as workers from diverse occupations. "President Lee, who once worked as a 'child laborer,' will reflect on the meaning of the restored Labor Day, empathize with the value of labor and express gratitude for workers' dedication," the office said in a release.
In his commemorative address, Lee is expected to outline government labor policies, such as enhancing workplace safety to reduce industrial accidents and redistributing the gains of economic growth. South Korea initially observed Labor Day on May 1 before renaming it "Workers' Day" in 1963; the name was restored to Labor Day last year and designated a national holiday earlier this month.
