Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon, a former railway engineer, often begins with, "My experience is..." He joined the then-Korea National Railroad (now KORAIL) in 1992 and worked for 34 years, retiring honorably shortly after his appointment as minister.
On the 29th, Minister Kim also began answering with, "To speak from my personal experience..." He was attempting to explain why the "yellow envelope law" is necessary.
Minister Kim's "experience" referred to his time as the chairperson of the railway union in 2004. He said, "At that time, when the KTX was launched, female crew members were first hired. They were not hired as regular employees, but were instead hired as irregular workers through the "Hongik Association," also on a one-year basis." The Hongik Association was a subsidiary of the Korea National Railroad (now KORAIL) responsible for selling food and drinks on trains.
Minister Kim stated, "To improve the working conditions of KTX female crew members, they were enrolled as members of the railway union, and the union demanded their transition to regular employment," adding, "At that time, the president of KORAIL said that they could not be subjects of negotiations because they were workers belonging to the Hongik Association, and the labor committee's judgment was the same."
At that time, Minister Kim went on a four-day strike, advocating for the elimination of discrimination against KTX female crew members and for their reinstatement after dismissals. He mentioned, "(The fact that workers belonging to the Hongik Association were not subjects of negotiations) became a major cause of the illegality of the strike," stating, "I also experienced arrest and dismissal and ended up compensating damages worth 10 billion won."
After concluding his "experience" story, Minister Kim moved to the "main point." He remarked, "I came to recognize the necessity of the yellow envelope law through my personal experience." The yellow envelope law includes content that recognizes the primary union's bargaining rights as a "legitimate labor dispute." The bill passed the Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly on the 28th and is awaiting approval in the plenary session.
Minister Kim frequently mentions the theory of "worker experience" in public forums. During a National Assembly confirmation hearing, he said, "The greatest pain experienced by railway engineers is dealing with fatal or serious accidents such as crossing accidents." He provided specific examples: "In 2004, a construction worker crossing the tracks near Sindorim Station for underground work was hit by an electric train, and the engineer who went down to rescue the victims was also hit and killed by a Saemaeul train running on another track."
At this point, Minister Kim also demonstrated his ability to connect his experience to the main topic. He stated, "It is important for anyone working to have the right to work without dying or getting injured and to create a safe workplace."
Officials at the Ministry of Employment and Labor seem to be spending time adjusting to their minister, who comes from a worker background. One official remarked, "It feels like work to grasp the intention behind what the minister means when he talks about his experience." Another official commented, "Today, I'm anxious about what the minister will say," worried that the minister's comments on experience could be misinterpreted.
On the other hand, there are reactions that suggest, "It seems like the minister is well-utilizing his experience to persuade the public regarding difficult and complex labor policies."