Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor met with content and media workers such as freelance broadcast writers and drama staff and said, "I will make the protection of the rights of workers outside the scope of legal protections the top priority in the second half of the year."
The Minister held a town hall meeting on the 22nd at the Sangam Media Workers' Shelter in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and stated accordingly. About 20 people attended, including broadcast writers, drama staff, and platform webtoon and web novel writers.
These content and media workers often work as freelancers and therefore frequently do not receive proper application of the Labor Standards Act, so they are classified as "workers outside the scope of legal protections." The attendees conveyed to the Minister the on-the-ground difficulties such as the reality of not being properly protected due to their status as freelancers, job insecurity, and a lack of social safety nets.
The Minister said, "Some may remember only the work itself, but the Labor Ministry will actively push policies for the people behind the work and for labor rights," adding, "We will pursue the enactment of a tentative 'basic act on guaranteeing workplace rights' to ensure the rights of all who work."
Starting with this meeting with content and media workers, the Minister plans to meet in person by the end of the year with workers in small information technology (IT) businesses, designated driver service drivers, and platform workers.