Ministry of Employment and Labor to Intensively Supervise Non-Regular Jobs in Public Sector... Targeting '364-Day Split Contracts'

The Ministry of Employment and Labor will intensively supervise the employment practices of non-regular workers in the public sector in order to eradicate so-called "split contracts," designed to avoid severance pay, and other unfair employment practices.

Starting August 18, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it will conduct intensive supervision over a two-month period targeting 200 public sector institutions—including public organizations, local public enterprises, local governments, educational institutions, and entities that have signed consignment or outsourcing contracts with public sector bodies—to ensure compliance with labor conditions for non-regular workers.

Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, is reviewing materials while attending the plenary session of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee on August 12, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

This round of supervision is the second following a targeted inspection of 30 local governments conducted between March and April. At that time, 113 cases of labor law violations were uncovered, including unpaid severance to workers with repeated contracts and unpaid allowances to fixed-term workers; all have since been rectified.

The Ministry has now expanded its scope to cover the entire public sector. Special focus will be given to institutions suspected of engaging in unfair employment practices, as identified through reports to the online counseling center and media coverage, as well as to institutions found—via the public sector employment and wage fact-finding survey conducted between February and March this year—to have a high proportion of fixed-term workers employed for more than 11 months but less than one year.

In particular, the ministry will conduct targeted inspections of unfair employment practices such as split contracts and 364-day contracts—measures designed specifically to evade severance payment obligations. It will also check whether the public sector guidelines for improving conditions for non-regular workers, introduced in May, and the pre-approval scheme for non-regular hires are being properly implemented in the field. Compliance with labor laws regarding employment contracts, wage arrears, and working hours will also be reviewed.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to take strict action for any legal violations in accordance with relevant regulations and to provide prompt guidance to correct any issues requiring improvement. In addition, training on labor relations law for local government officials in charge of personnel and labor affairs for permanent and contract employees will be expanded from seven to thirteen sessions annually. Institutions where multiple areas for improvement are identified will receive additional customized education programs.

Minister of Employment and Labor Younghoon Kim stated, "The public sector should take the lead as a model employer in establishing fair employment practices," adding, "Only if the public sector changes can we ask the private sector to follow." He continued, "Through this round of supervision, we intend to set the standard for workplaces where the value of labor is respected, starting with the public sector."

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