The two major labor unions, the Korean Federation of Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), expressed disappointment on the 3rd regarding the press conference held by President Lee Jae-myung to mark one month since his inauguration, noting that there was "no mention of labor."
The Korean Federation of Trade Unions stated in a comment that "there was virtually no mention of labor, which is directly related to the lives of the people, in the president's opening remarks," adding that there are concerns the new government may have pushed labor to the periphery in its proposed governance blueprint.
Additionally, the Korean Federation of Trade Unions noted that "the lack of even a mention of the need to restore the value of labor, which was severely damaged under the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration, is even more disappointing," and stated that "the new government must make labor a core aspect of governance, as this is the only way to move towards a country where everyone lives well together."
On the same day, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) stated, "A livelihood without labor does not exist," and noted that "the press conference was a venue that overlooked that fact."
The spokesperson for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) mentioned during a briefing that "the amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act (yellow envelope law), which the president had promised, and the extension of the Labor Standards Act to business sites with fewer than 5 employees were missing," and added, "there was no minimum expression of stance to correct the labor repression policies of the Yoon Suk-yeol government."
He also remarked that "the response regarding a 4.5-day workweek was limited to social dialogue, and there were no plans or schedules," adding that "labor issues were not originally part of the agenda for this press conference."