'1 Year of Lee Administration'... Workplace Gapjil 119: "Labor Law Blind Spots Remain"

Survey of 105 Labor Attorneys, Lawyers, and Activists
Positive Evaluations for Industrial Accident Prevention and Trade Union Act Amendments

A diagnosis has emerged that the Lee Jae-myung administration’s policies to address blind spots in labor law have not been sufficiently implemented.

President Lee Jae-myung. Yonhap News.

On May 24, one year ahead of the Lee Jae-myung administration's inauguration, Workplace Gapjil 119 surveyed 105 labor experts—including labor attorneys, lawyers, and activists—between May 13 and 21 regarding their expectations and evaluation of labor policies. According to the results, 93.3% of respondents answered that the administration's policies to address blind spots in labor law—such as those affecting workplaces with fewer than five employees, ultra-short-term workers, and specially employed, platform, and freelance workers—have not been sufficiently implemented.

Respondents cited the most insufficient policies as the expansion of labor law application to workplaces with fewer than five employees (67.6%) and protection for specially employed, platform, and freelance workers (45.7%). These were followed by policies to address the gender wage gap (21.9%), protection for migrant workers (19.5%), and protection for workers amid technological change such as artificial intelligence (AI) (19.5%).

Conversely, the policy that respondents evaluated most positively was the prevention of industrial accidents and serious workplace accidents (56.1%). Other policies that received positive evaluations included the protection of basic labor rights through amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act (54.2%), efforts to eradicate wage arrears (24.7%), and efforts to eliminate the comprehensive wage system and unpaid labor (23.8%).

The task most frequently cited as requiring priority during the remainder of the administration’s term was the expansion of labor law application to workplaces with fewer than five employees (75.2%). This was followed by protection for specially employed, platform, and freelance workers (45.7%), prevention of industrial accidents and serious workplace accidents (25.7%), and protection for workers amid technological change such as AI (17.4%).

Workplace Gapjil 119 commented, “Although the government has presented addressing labor law blind spots as a key task, the results clearly reveal that the government has either failed to accelerate policy implementation to protect the rights of workers outside the law, or has pursued ineffective and even discriminatory policies.” At the same time, the group noted, “It appears that the government has demonstrated a certain degree of policy commitment on issues such as serious workplace accidents, guaranteeing the right to unionize, eradicating wage arrears, and improving the comprehensive wage system, which is reflected in the positive evaluations.”

Oh Jin-ho, Executive Director of Workplace Gapjil 119, stated, “President Lee, who is a former child factory worker, remarked in his Labor Day address that ‘the size of one’s rights should not differ simply because of differences in employment type or working methods.’” He continued, “For this to become a reality, the Lee Jae-myung administration’s top priority must be to address blind spots in labor law. In particular, the Labor Standards Act should be fully applied to workers at businesses with fewer than five employees and to ultra-short-term workers, and specially employed, platform, and freelance workers must also be protected as workers under labor law.”

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