Substitute Holiday Passed in Plenary Session... Seoyounggyo: "Labor Standards Act Must Be Revised to Expand Rest Rights" (Comprehensive)

Major Bills Under 'Public Administration Committee' Passed in June National Assembly... Substitute Holidays, Property Tax Law, Yeosun Incident Special Act, etc.
Seo Young-kyo, Chair of Public Administration Committee: "Each Bill Has Special Significance... Yeosun Incident Special Act Opens Support Path for Victims After 73 Years"
"Substitute Holidays Act Establishes Legal Basis for Right to Rest... Expecting Future Expansion by Supplementing Labor Standards Act, etc."

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 29th, the plenary session of the National Assembly was marked by the passage of a large number of bills under the jurisdiction of the Administration and Security Committee, including the 'Bill to Expand Substitute Holidays' which applies substitute holidays to all public holidays overlapping with weekends, the 'Local Tax Act Amendment' which reduces property tax burdens for first-generation single homeowners, and the 'Yeosun Incident Special Act' which enables the investigation of the Yeosun Incident for the first time in 73 years. Seo Young-gyo, chairperson of the Administration and Security Committee, evaluated in a phone interview with Asia Economy that "each bill holds special significance."

Seo Young-kyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking during the government economic inquiry held at the National Assembly plenary session on the 20th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Among the bills passed in the plenary session that day, the one that attracted the most public attention was the 'Act on Public Holidays.'

The 'Act on Public Holidays' aims to stimulate consumption sentiment, which has been stagnant due to COVID-19, and to guarantee the public's right to rest by designating substitute holidays for all public holidays that coincide with weekends. Currently, substitute holidays are only applied to three public holidays: Lunar New Year holidays (Sunday), Chuseok holidays (Sunday), and Children's Day (Saturday, Sunday). However, with the passage of this bill, substitute holidays will be expanded to all public holidays including national holidays, January 1st, and Lunar New Year, fully guaranteeing the 15 public holidays stipulated by law (excluding Sundays, election days, and temporary holidays). Chairperson Seo explained that this means the public's right to rest is protected and the quality of life can be improved.

According to the supplementary provisions, the newly enacted law will be implemented from January 1, 2022, in line with Article 55, Paragraph 22 of the Labor Standards Act, which expands the paid holiday system to all workplaces with five or more employees. However, even before the law's effective date, a supplementary provision allows substitute holidays to be applied if Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangul Day, or Christmas fall on a Saturday or Sunday, so that the upcoming Liberation Day on August 15 can be included. As a result, a total of four substitute holidays are expected this year.

Regarding the contentious issue of excluding workplaces with five or fewer employees, Chairperson Seo said, "I hope that this can be supplemented and gradually expanded through the Labor Standards Act and other laws in the future." The inclusion of workplaces with fewer than five employees must be discussed under the Labor Standards Act, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Environment and Labor Committee.

Additionally, the 'Yeosun Incident Special Act' (Special Act on the Investigation of the Yeosu-Suncheon October 19 Incident and the Restoration of Honor for Victims), which was also under the jurisdiction of the Administration and Security Committee, was passed that day, establishing a legal basis to investigate the incident and support the victims 73 years after the Yeosu-Suncheon October 19 Incident occurred.

The special act mandates the establishment of the 'Yeosun Incident Investigation and Victims' Honor Restoration Committee' under the Prime Minister and a 'Working Committee' under the Governor of Jeollanam-do. After the initial formation, the committee will have investigative authority for two years, including the power to request written statements and attendance from investigation subjects and witnesses. For important witnesses who refuse to appear after three or more summonses, a warrant for accompaniment may be issued. The special act also includes provisions allowing the state to provide medical and living support funds to victims.

The Yeosun Incident occurred on October 19, 1948, when soldiers of the 14th Regiment of the Defense Security Command stationed in Yeosu refused orders to suppress the Jeju April 3 Incident and clashed with government suppression forces, resulting in mass civilian casualties. Although the special act was proposed four times since the 16th National Assembly in 2001, it was repeatedly blocked due to ideological conflicts but was passed this time through bipartisan agreement.

The 'Local Tax Act Amendment,' which eases the property tax burden for single homeowners with a publicly announced property price of 900 million KRW or less, was also approved. This bill is also under the jurisdiction of the Administration and Security Committee. The amendment expands the special property tax rate reduction for single homeowners from the original '600 million KRW or less' to '900 million KRW or less,' reducing the property tax rate by 0.05 percentage points.

With this amendment, the tax rate for approximately 440,000 homes nationwide in the 600 million to 900 million KRW range will decrease from 0.40% to 0.35%. The total tax reduction is estimated at 78.2 billion KRW (an average of 180,000 KRW per household). The reduced tax rate will apply from this year's property tax assessments. The tax base date is June 1, and the special application period is from 2021 to 2023, totaling three years.

Chairperson Seo reflected in the interview, "Many livelihood-related bills under the Administration and Security Committee were passed in the June National Assembly. Since these were originally non-contentious bills agreed upon by both parties, the process was smooth, but there were some unexpected oppositions that posed challenges." She added, "However, it is meaningful that the first step was taken by establishing a legal basis, and I hope that the points needing improvement will be explored later and developed in a better direction."

In addition, the plenary session approved a total of 86 bills, including the 'Special Act on Public Housing,' a follow-up bill to the government's 2·4 Plan to supply about 830,000 homes by 2025, and the 'Act to Prevent Recurrence of Building Collapse Accidents,' which aims to prevent another collapse accident like the one in Gwangju.