The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL)'s Cheonan branch ordered Hyundai Steel to directly hire 1,213 workers belonging to 10 partner companies at its Dangjin plant. The ministry on the 19th said this was a measure "in response to Hyundai Steel's operation of partner-company workers in the form of illegal dispatch," and stated accordingly.
Hyundai Steel must directly hire them within 25 days after the MOEL's corrective order. If it fails to comply, it must pay fines of up to 30 million won per person. Fines of 10 million won for the first violation, 20 million won for the second, and 30 million won for the third will be imposed.
Earlier, the MOEL's Cheonan branch, applying charges of illegal dispatch against 1,213 workers on June 27, 2024, referred Hyundai Steel to the prosecution with an opinion for indictment. After supplementary investigation, the prosecution in December last year brought Hyundai Steel to trial on the same charges.
Choi Jong-su, head of the MOEL's Cheonan branch, said, "Going forward, we will continue to take stern action through on-site supervision and inspections against unlawful labor deployment at worksites, including illegal dispatch," and "We will work harder to ensure the legitimate rights of subcontracted workers."