The People Power Party and the government decided to expand the operation of the 'Youth Future Center,' an organization dedicated to supporting young people who care for sick family members or live in isolation, from the current four locations to 24. They also noted their commitment to work on related legislation and securing budgets. Additionally, they decided to pursue legislation to prevent workplace harassment, which has emerged as a social issue following the death of MBC weathercaster Late Oh Yoanna.
Kim Sang-hoon, chairman of the People Power Party's Policy Committee, said during a briefing on the results of the government's and party's meeting on non-economic livelihood policies held at the National Assembly that they reached this agreement.
First, the government has decided to expand the operation of the 'Youth Future Center,' which has been operating in Incheon, Ulsan, North Chungcheong, and North Jeolla since August of last year, to 24 locations nationwide.
'Youth Future Centers' are organizations that provide dedicated support for family care and isolated or reclusive youth within the community. A family caregiver youth is defined as a young person aged 13 to 34 who is primarily responsible for caring for a family member in need of assistance while living together. Isolated or reclusive youth are those who face difficulties in social activities. Since last year, pilot projects have been operating at four locations to continuously manage these individuals at the government level until they can stabilize and become independent. The government and party decided to increase the number of these centers nationwide, recognizing the serious issue of at-risk youth who are in social blind spots.
The Youth Future Centers will continuously identify at-risk youth. They will also provide customized support services, such as connecting various care and medical services to alleviate the family care burden on the youth and offering self-assessment for their conditions.
Chairman Kim said, 'The government and party will check for any shortcomings in the promotion of this initiative and agree to actively discuss related legislative measures,' and noted, 'We will also work on securing the necessary budget for supporting at-risk youth.'
The 'At-Risk Children and Youth Support Act,' mentioned by Chairman Kim, includes legal grounds to designate and delegate 'At-Risk Children and Youth Support Centers.' It also encompasses provisions for establishing a basic plan every five years and conducting a fact-finding survey every three years. The bill passed the first subcommittee review of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee on the 3rd and is expected to be processed through bipartisan agreement in the February extraordinary session.
The government and party also reviewed the current state of workplace harassment issues. In particular, they discussed the measures taken and future plans regarding allegations that Mr. Oh, who passed away last September, suffered from workplace harassment during his lifetime. Chairman Kim said, 'The fact that someone died due to conflicts among employees and that the company took no action after being made aware of this is a significant issue,' adding, 'MBC has begun its own investigation, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor has also initiated fact-finding; therefore, thorough clarifications must be made to prevent similar occurrences.'
He added, 'The government and party have decided to actively seek measures for those in vulnerable positions, such as freelancers.'
In this regard, the ruling party decided to pursue the establishment of a special law intended to resolve workplace harassment issues, referred to as the 'Late Oh Yoanna Law.' Chairman Kim stated, 'The People Power Party is preparing legislation to protect all working individuals, including platform workers, from workplace harassment under the 'Late Oh Yoanna Special Law.' The bill will include provisions for punishing harassment even if it occurs once and will include a review process that allows victims to request judgment from the labor committee if they are dissatisfied with the investigation results. Chairman Kim said, 'Once the Late Oh Yoanna Law is established, it will contribute to minimizing conflicts,' and he emphasized, 'I will continue efforts until all workplace harassment is eradicated.'