Minister of Employment Urges Baemin, Kakao, and Others to "Make Efforts to Apply Employment and Industrial Accident Insurance for Workers"

Held a Meeting with Platform Company CEOs on the 14th and Made a Formal Request
CEOs of 9 Companies Including Baemin and Kakao Mobility Attended

Minister Lee Jae-gap of the Ministry of Employment and Labor speaking at the 13th Employment Crisis Response Team Meeting of the Central Emergency Economic Countermeasures Headquarters held on the 14th at the Economic and Social Labor Council main conference room in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Lee Jae-gap, Minister of Employment and Labor, met with representatives of platform companies on the 14th and said, "Platform workers will also receive employment insurance," and requested, "Please make efforts to apply industrial accident insurance as well."

He made this request during a meeting held at 2 p.m. at the Seoul Press Center with Choi Sung-jin, CEO of Koraistartup Forum, and CEOs of nine platform companies. The participating companies included Baedal Minjok, Spidercraft, Kakao Mobility, Crowdworks, Cleaning Research Institute, Daerijubu, Mamsitter, Jjaekak Ageo, and Chainlogis. Minister Lee explained the government's policy direction to the platform industry and conveyed requests regarding worker protection.

Minister Lee said, "Since platform jobs have relatively low employment stability, please make efforts to ensure that workers can receive employment insurance and industrial accident insurance."

With the revision of the Employment Insurance Act, employment insurance will be expanded and applied to quick service and designated driver workers starting January 1 next year. The government plans to continue expanding the applicable occupations thereafter. In the case of platform businesses, since they will bear the responsibility for managing employment insurance eligibility and withholding insurance premiums, Minister Lee's message emphasized the need for corporate cooperation to establish the system.

He also requested cooperation to expand the application of industrial accident insurance. He emphasized, "The government plans to expand the occupations covered by industrial accident insurance and abolish the exclusivity requirement so that platform workers who urgently need protection can receive the benefits of industrial accident insurance." He added, "Please thoroughly implement measures under related laws such as the Industrial Safety and Health Act to ensure the safety of delivery workers."

Additionally, he requested ▲strengthening vocational training for platform workers and ▲establishing fair trade order between platform companies and workers. Referring to the 'Act on the Protection and Support of Platform Workers,' which is pending discussion in the National Assembly, the government informed companies that it will actively work for the prompt passage of the law.

Minister Lee said, "Jobs are fundamentally changing due to digital transformation, and COVID-19 is accelerating these changes. Without protecting workers, there can be no industrial development. I hope you will prioritize what can be done now and actively propose matters that require government support."