Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SK Group chairman), said on the 24th, "When we talk about jobs now, we think of regular positions or fixed working hours, but with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), there could be significant changes in the actual labor and management environment."
On the same day, Chairman Chey met with Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor at the KORCHAM headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, and said, "We need to create a new framework. We need to evolve to allow flexible work hour adjustments."
Chairman Chey explained that, with the emergence of AI in the workplace, the labor environment is also changing.
He noted, "Many people are quite keenly aware of recent changes in employment, and it is true that there are some concerns," adding, "Issues like standard wages and the Serious Accident Punishment Act have been topics for a while, but now there is new discussion on amending labor laws and the issue of extending retirement age has emerged as a pressing matter."
"People only think about a situation where everyone commutes simultaneously and leaves simultaneously, or shifts operate factories, but with the introduction of AI, efficiency could increase," he emphasized.
Chairman Chey also said, "The framework regarding labor and employment will need to evolve and change further in the future," explaining, "It is necessary for Korea to quickly embrace change so that the competitiveness of the manufacturing and existing industries can be maintained."