Son Kyung-sik to Kang Kyung-hwa, ILO Secretary-General Candidate: "Please Address the Role of Businesses in a Balanced Way"

"Kang Kyung-hwa, the Right Person with International Leadership"

Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik of the Korea Employers Federation is listening attentively to the remarks of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki at the 'Deputy Prime Minister-Economic Organization Heads Meeting' held on the 8th at the Chamber Lounge of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, met with Kang Kyung-wha, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is running for the International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General election on the 19th. Chairman Sohn said, "I hope the role and position of companies working hard for job creation and economic growth will be balanced."

On the morning of the same day, Chairman Sohn met Kang at CJ The Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, and stated, "In a situation where the global labor market and jobs have not fully recovered from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ILO should utilize its unique strength of tripartism to promote mutual development among labor, management, and government through social dialogue and present a future-oriented development direction."

Earlier, former Minister Kang announced her candidacy for the ILO Director-General election to be held in March next year. She is competing against candidates from Australia, Togo, South Africa, and France.

Regarding this, Chairman Sohn said, "Candidate Kang is an international organization expert who has served for many years as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations (UN) and as a special advisor on policy to the Secretary-General. She is a suitable candidate recognized for her leadership in the international community as Minister of Foreign Affairs."

Furthermore, Chairman Sohn addressed current issues in the business community, saying, "The global labor market and jobs have not fully recovered from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the world of work is changing at an unprecedented pace due to the acceleration of digital transformation. Now is the time for a new role for the ILO and changes among labor, management, and government."

He continued, "The ILO has focused on establishing and monitoring the implementation of international labor standards to solve problems arising during industrialization. However, such regulation-centered activities do not reflect the realities of the changing jobs and labor market today," urging the ILO to leverage its strength in tripartism to promote mutual development among labor, management, and government and to present a future-oriented development direction.

Chairman Sohn expressed hope that "Candidate Kang will be elected as the ILO Director-General, raising Korea's status in the international community and balancing the role and position of companies working for 'job creation and economic growth,' a key pillar of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)." He added, "I hope this will serve as an opportunity for the domestic labor market and labor-management relations to advance to the next level."

Meanwhile, the next ILO Director-General will be decided by a board vote in March next year. The term will be five years starting from October 1 of next year. The vote will involve 56 board members, including 28 government representatives and 14 each from labor and management.