Kim Young-hoon, the nominee for Minister of Employment and Labor, pledged to expedite the legislation of the 'yellow envelope law', extend the retirement age, and gradually implement a 4.5-day workweek within the year. Kim made this statement during the confirmation hearing for the Minister of Employment and Labor held on the 16th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul.
Kim said, "If I become Minister, I will work diligently to push for the reform legislation of the union law amendments (commonly known as the yellow envelope law) through consultations with the ruling party and government immediately upon taking office." The yellow envelope law primarily limits corporations from claiming damages and placing liens against unions that cause losses due to strikes and strengthens the responsibilities of primary contractors for subcontracted workers.
In response to concerns that illegal strikes will increase, he acknowledged, "I fully understand the corporations' worries" and added, "I will think of various ways to minimize these concerns and ensure smooth implementation on-site."
He expressed his commitment to speeding up the work on extending the legal retirement age. Kim stated, "The amendment work must be completed within this year," and continued, "I will ensure that only large corporations and the public institutional sector have extended retirement ages, and I will pay attention to the concerns of young people who fear job opportunities in preferred professions are diminishing due to mismatches in small and medium-sized enterprises."
Regarding the introduction of the 4.5-day workweek, he hinted at gradual progress, saying, "We will conduct pilot projects starting from places where it is possible," and emphasized, "It is important to support the implementation autonomously while preventing deepening polarization and widening gaps with small-scale workers."
He also expressed his intention to establish the 'Basic Labor Law', which is aimed at guaranteeing the rights of all workers, including self-employed individuals, special employment workers, and platform workers. Kim said, "I want to create a comprehensive basic law that includes those who are not recognized as workers, like the late Oh Yoanna, so that no one suffers unjustly and has to fight to be acknowledged."
Meanwhile, the confirmation hearing for Kim Young-hoon focused on the debate over the 'North Korean adversary'. The questioning that emerged throughout the morning continued for a while in the afternoon. Kim mentioned, "While North Korea is militarily hostile, I support the dual theory that it is also a target for exchange and cooperation," and added, "If I become a minister, I will prioritize protecting the interests of the Republic of Korea and its citizens, and I will execute my duties without any deviation from the spirit of constitutional protection of peaceful unification."
However, despite his responses, members of the People Power Party pointed out that "there has been no clear answer regarding the adversary," asking, "Isn't what threatens the Republic of Korea the adversary? North Korea has been firing missiles frequently; do you not think that is a threat to us?" In response to continued questions like, "Is Kim Jong-un the adversary?" Kim ultimately replied, "Yes, that is correct."
Additionally, Kim addressed his past issues with drunk driving and vehicle seizures due to local government tax arrears, stating, "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my negligence and mistakes." It has been reported that Kim's vehicles were seized 10 times from 1993 to 2015 due to local tax delinquencies and unpaid fines for violating traffic regulations.