Lee's Order for Investigation and Strict Punishment Uncovers 1,147 Violations of Proper Wage Payments for Janitors

The Blue House announced on the 15th that there have been as many as 1,147 cases of violations related to the payment of proper wages to sanitation workers, and it has requested disciplinary actions and other measures through the government.

Kang Yoojeong, Chief Spokesperson for the Blue House, disclosed the results of an inspection of 2,462 cleaning service contracts commissioned by local governments over the past three years during a briefing at the press center on the same day.

Kang Yoojeong, Chief Spokesperson for the Blue House, is holding a briefing at the press center on the 15th regarding the actual payment of wages to sanitation workers. President Lee Jae-myung had instructed at the senior secretaries' meeting held in February to conduct a complete survey to understand the situation concerning the issue raised that local governments were not complying with the regulations ensuring proper wages for sanitation workers. July 15, 2026 Yonhap News Agency

According to the investigation, there were 586 cases where the proper wages for sanitation workers were inadequately reflected in the contracts, and 561 cases where the wages paid were lower than the amount stipulated in the contract. There were also cases where the mandatory separate wage account was not operated or the procedures to confirm the payment of proper wages were not followed.

This investigation was conducted after President Lee Jae-myung was briefed at the senior secretaries' meeting in February that local governments were not complying with regulations to ensure proper wages for sanitation workers. At that time, President Lee instructed officials to grasp the actual conditions through audits or a complete survey and to sternly discipline those responsible if problems were found.

Chief Spokesperson Kang stated, "To prevent similar cases from occurring in the future, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor will collaborate to establish measures for institutional improvement and management plans."

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