KCTU Agrees to 'Tripartite Agreement to Overcome COVID-19' at Delegate Conference

On the 1st, the 11th Central Executive Committee meeting of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) was held privately at the KCTU in Jung-gu, Seoul, following the failure of the tripartite agreement ceremony among labor, management, and government representatives to overcome the COVID-19 crisis due to the KCTU's absence. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] On the morning of the 1st, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) announced its intention to convene an extraordinary delegate meeting to ask for approval regarding the 'Tripartite Agreement to Overcome the Novel Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19),' which failed to reach an agreement due to KCTU's absence.

On that day, KCTU issued a statement saying, "At the 11th Central Committee meeting, we intended to receive organizational consent on the final proposal and participate in the tripartite representatives meeting, but it could not be convened." It added, "Chairman Kim Myung-hwan stated that this tripartite representatives meeting was initiated at KCTU's request and emphasized the need to promptly convene an extraordinary delegate meeting for the many vulnerable workers suffering from the COVID-19 crisis." KCTU plans to discuss this matter again at the 11th Central Committee meeting scheduled for the afternoon of the 2nd.

Chairman Kim is expected to decide on his position depending on the outcome of the delegate meeting. On the afternoon of the same day, Chairman Kim was transported to a hospital in Seoul due to a sudden deterioration in his health. A KCTU official stated, "Chairman Kim has had diabetes and high blood pressure. During the process of blocking the attendance of some industrial unions, he experienced pressure and stress, which caused a nosebleed and he briefly collapsed."