Starting next year, the name for May 1 will be restored from "Labor Day" to "Labor Day." Plans are also underway to designate the day as a public holiday.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor said on the 26th that eight laws under the ministry's purview, including the Act on the Establishment of Labor Day, passed the National Assembly's plenary session.
Korea has commemorated May 1 as "Labor Day" since 1923. It originated from "May Day," which marks the 1886 struggle by workers in the United States to win the eight-hour workday. After the Act on the Establishment of Labor Day was enacted in 1963, it has been called "Workers' Day."
When the law related to Workers' Day was first enacted, Workers' Day was Mar. 10, but a 1994 amendment moved it to May 1.
The labor ministry said, "We will consult with relevant ministries so that Labor Day can be designated as a public holiday and actively support discussions within the National Assembly." A bill containing these provisions is pending in the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee.
Opinions differ, however, on restoring the name Labor Day. Supporters argue that the term "worker" has been used since the Japanese colonial period and does not fully reflect the autonomy of labor and the value of humans. They also hold that, under dictionary definitions, labor, which means "to work by moving one's body," is a more value-neutral term than working diligently.
On the other hand, there is a view that there is no need to restore Labor Day, noting that it is a long-standing word that appears even in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and that the Constitution also uses the word worker.
Meanwhile, at the plenary session that day, the National Assembly also passed an amendment to the Act on the Guarantee of Employees' Retirement Benefits that does not apply the offense not prosecuted against the victim's will to employers whose names have been disclosed for wage arrears when they withhold retirement benefits, and an amendment to the Wage Claim Guarantee Act that allows the government to recoup from employers the money it paid to workers in place of employers in arrears.
In addition, an amendment to the Employment Insurance Act that allows the government to expand employment retention subsidies when employment conditions significantly deteriorate nationwide, an amendment to the Act on the Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities and Vocational Rehabilitation that eases regulations on the establishment of standard business sites for persons with disabilities, and amendments that clarify the legal basis for appointing worker directors to the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service (K-COMWEL), Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency (KOSHA), and Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea) also passed.