The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) plans to inspect 90,000 business sites this year. That is 1.7 times more than the 52,000 inspected last year.
The ministry said on the 22nd in its "2026 establishment inspection plan" that it will conduct 40,000 inspections in the labor sector and 50,000 in the industrial safety sector this year.
First, in the labor sector, the plan is to focus on eradicating unpaid wages. Previously, cases were handled mainly for those who filed nonpayment reports, but going forward, the ministry will conduct a full survey to determine whether other workers at the report filer's business sites also have unpaid wages.
Inspections for "free" labor and long working hours will be doubled from 200 a year to 400 a year. The ministry will actively crack down on the misuse of the comprehensive wage system, cited as a cause of "free labor." Inspections will be strengthened for shift systems and business sites with repeated special extended work, where there are high concerns about long working hours.
The ministry will also carry out joint inspections targeting foreign workers in rural and fishing communities, intensive inspections during school breaks for young workers in convenience store and cafe businesses near universities, and labor inspections of public institutions. In particular, in the public institutional sector, the plan is to examine whether equal pay is being provided for equal work, such as cleaning and security.
In the industrial safety sector, the number of inspectors will be increased from 895 at the beginning of last year to 2,095 by the end of this year to strengthen inspections. Including the expansion of labor-sector inspectors from 2,236 to 3,036 over the same period, the total increase in inspectors will be 2,000.
In the course of industrial safety inspections, if a legal violation is confirmed, the ministry plans to depart from the existing principle of issuing corrective orders and prioritize criminal proceedings and administrative dispositions. However, for small, vulnerable business sites with insufficient safety and health management capacity, financial and technical support will be prioritized, and if there is no improvement, the ministry will carry out intensive checks and inspections.
In addition, if basic safety rules such as wearing safety helmets and safety belts are not followed, the ministry plans to impose fines not only on employers but also on workers. For workers, fines of 50,000 won for a first violation, 100,000 won for a second violation, and 150,000 won for a third violation will be imposed.
Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said, "We will raise the level of business site inspections this year and mobilize all of the ministry's capabilities to improve Korea's labor and industrial safety standards."