A bill to amend the Holidays Act to designate Labor Day on May 1 every year as a statutory holiday passed a subcommittee of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee. Earlier, the National Assembly also passed a bill last month to amend the Holidays Act to reassign Constitution Day on July 17 every year as a statutory holiday.
On the morning of the 24th, the Public Administration and Security Committee held the first bill review subcommittee at the National Assembly and passed the amendment to the Act on Holidays to designate Labor Day as a statutory holiday.
Labor Day has been designated as a paid holiday under the Act on the Establishment of Labor Day and the Labor Standards Act, but it has not been designated as a statutory holiday under the Holidays Act. Therefore, private companies subject to the Labor Standards Act have applied the holiday at their discretion, and there has been criticism that public officials who are not subject to the Labor Standards Act are not entitled to a day off on Labor Day.
The bill to amend the Holidays Act to designate Labor Day as a statutory holiday was introduced mainly by the pro-ruling bloc. The amendment was separately introduced by Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Jung Chung-rae, Park Hong-bae, Park Hae-cheol, and Lee Yong-woo; Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Jeong Chun-saeng; and The Progressive Party lawmaker Jeon Jong-deok.
Yoon Kun-young, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker who chairs the Public Administration and Security Committee's first subcommittee, said on Facebook that day, "At last, the half Labor Day has become a full Labor Day," adding, "Although the plenary session and other steps remain, we have taken a big step so that from this year on, all working people can properly rest on Labor Day, May 1."
Earlier, the National Assembly also handled a bill to amend the Holidays Act to designate Constitution Day as a holiday again for the first time in 18 years since 2008. Previously, Constitution Day was removed from the list of holidays during the Roh Moo-hyun administration when the five-day workweek was implemented, in response to requests from the business community.