Lee Jeong-sik: "If Extreme Illegal Strikes Go Unpunished, It Violates Constitutional Order"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, criticized the 'Yellow Envelope Act' passed in the standing committee led by the Democratic Party and the Justice Party, stating that "if no responsibility is imposed even for illegal strikes, it contradicts the order of civil law and the constitution," pointing out its unfairness.

On the 22nd, Minister Lee said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "Most labor unions currently have the three labor rights guaranteed under the constitution and the Labor Union Act, and if they strike legally, they are not held civilly or criminally responsible," expressing this view.

Representative Lee Jung-mi and members of the Justice Party are holding a press conference on the passage of the Yellow Envelope Act through the Environment and Labor Committee at the sit-in site in front of the National Assembly main building in Yeouido, Seoul on the 21st. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

He emphasized, "It means that damages are claimed only in cases of illegal strikes, but if illegal acts are committed, no responsibility is imposed. This contradicts the order of civil law and constitutional order," adding, "However, the courts do not indiscriminately recognize all illegal acts; damages are claimed and responsibility is imposed only for extreme illegal acts accompanied by workplace occupation and violent behavior."

Minister Lee stressed that currently the courts "do not hold just anyone responsible among union members, only those who are simply involved are exempt from liability, and if the damage claim is excessively high, the courts do not fully accept it."

The government's position is that the current law sufficiently regulates these matters. He said, "Compared to the general acceptance rate of damage claims, the acceptance rate for cases arising from labor-management relations is 10 percentage points higher, but we are considering ways to regulate those used as means to suppress labor unions as unfair labor practices," hinting at additional measures related to strike damage claims.

Regarding criticism that President Yoon is excessively politicizing the issue by referring to violent activities at construction sites as 'Geonpok,' he said, "the government is maintaining its focus. Only by doing so can reforms succeed," adding, "We believe reforms succeed when the government leads with substantive and procedural legitimacy that the public accepts, and accordingly, we are currently creating and steadily implementing reform content and a reform roadmap."