Marking Labor Day, designated as the first statutory holiday starting this year, President Lee Jae-myung delivered a commemorative address.
At the Labor Day ceremony held at the Blue House on the 1st, the president said, "I extend respect and gratitude to all workers of this land, who are the agents of production, the key drivers of economic growth, and the protagonists of the Republic of Korea's development," adding, "Labor supports a person's daily life, protects a family's today, and is the source of power that moves our community toward tomorrow."
Referring to a "path of mutual growth" where labor and corporations go together, the president said, "A society that respects labor and a country that is good for doing business are not mutually exclusive," and added, "There are no workers without corporations, and no corporations without workers."
He added that an ecosystem of mutual growth would be created in which labor and management respect each other and can engage in dialogue, and said he would realize "real growth" in which labor and corporations, fairness and innovation, and growth and distribution form a virtuous cycle.
He also said, "Rapid change may be an opportunity for some, but for others it is a major crisis that threatens survival," noting, "The prevailing outlook is that with technological advances, machines and artificial intelligence will replace most human labor."
He went on, "Workers must not be forced to make unilateral sacrifices solely for productivity gains," and said, "Growth without a future for workers, who make up the vast majority of the people, cannot be called real growth."
This is seen as an expression of intent to guarantee universal labor rights regarding the recent labor movement's concerns about introducing robots in factories. The administration also emphasized its sense of responsibility for workers' safety.
The president said, "On workplace safety, we will make no compromises. We will make sure this country is one where workers do not have to risk death," adding, "We will make clear that protecting safety is not an expense or a choice, but a basic duty of the state and corporations."
Regarding Labor Day being designated as a statutory holiday, he called it "the start of sketching a blueprint for mutual growth."
The president said, "Not only this event itself, but the very fact that labor and management are here together shows the efforts made so far for respect and mutual growth," adding, "The first step of dialogue already began in the preparation process. The fact that everyone has begun sketching the blueprint for mutual growth together—that may be one of the greatest meanings of today's Labor Day."
He also said, "Today's dialogue must continue," adding, "We will carry what we discussed here into changes in the workplace and into policies that change people's lives."