[Yoon Administration 1 Year]⑤ Stalled 3 Major Reforms... What Is the Breakthrough?

Challenges in Cooperation Expected Ahead of General Election
Can Reform Outcomes Overcome the Ruling Party's Minority?

President Yoon Suk-yeol's 'three major reforms (labor, education, pension)' set as national tasks have recently seen sluggish discussions. The education reform, which aimed to lower the elementary school entrance age to 5 years old, was withdrawn after facing public backlash, and the labor reform part, the '69-hour workweek system,' also faced opposition mainly from younger generations, leading to a reconsideration from scratch, while pension reform continues to be a ping-pong game between the political circles and the government.

According to political circles on the 2nd, President Yoon identified the three major reforms as national tasks in his first National Assembly speech on May 16 last year. This year as well, through his New Year's address, he emphasized, "A country obsessed with maintaining vested interests and seeking rents has no future," and "the three major reforms of labor, education, and pension, which determine the future of the Republic of Korea and future generations, can no longer be postponed."

Labor Reform Trapped in 69 Hours... Reignited in the Ruling Party's Labor Reform Committee

However, the government faced fierce opposition immediately after announcing the labor reform centered on the '69-hour workweek system.' The government, which set labor time flexibility as the core of labor reform, announced that it would flexibly extend the unit period for overtime work, increasing the current '52 hours per week' to 'up to 69 hours per week.' This sparked a wave of opposition mainly from the MZ generation, saying, "We already work some of the longest hours in the world; are you telling us to work more overtime?" Eventually, President Yoon stepped back, saying, "Working more than 60 hours per week is excessive from a health protection perspective."

Since then, the People Power Party recently launched a labor reform special committee for the first time since Yoon Jae-ok took office as floor leader, reigniting the labor reform issue. The labor reform special committee, officially launched that day, set the 'Fair Hiring Act' as its first agenda. The Fair Hiring Act includes provisions to increase the level of punishment, allowing criminal penalties when unfair hiring practices such as employment inheritance or forced hiring occur.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The special committee discusses policy alternatives and legislative measures focusing on improvement tasks related to the four major areas of labor reform: flexibility, fairness, labor-management rule of law, and safety. On the same day, the ruling party held a consultation meeting with the government to receive a report on the crackdown status on 'eradication of violence at construction sites' and planned to discuss legislative measures to strengthen penalties, but the consultation was postponed due to a construction union official's self-immolation.

Previously, the government has been pushing to strengthen penalties against the construction union for illegal activities at construction sites, and ruling party lawmakers have submitted multiple related bills. However, in the current situation of a ruling party minority, it is highly likely that legislation pushed by the government and ruling party will be repeatedly blocked. With the general election approaching, opposition from the construction and automobile unions is expected, and the opposition party is unlikely to cooperate.

On the 4th, at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, members of the Labor Respect Practice National Assembly Group and representatives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions shouted slogans condemning the '69-hour workweek' during the 1st policy meeting. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Pension and Education Reforms Stumble from the Start

Education reform has shown signs of stumbling from the start due to the successive resignations of the Minister of Education. Although reforms were proposed across all education sectors from kindergarten to university, they have stalled due to opposition from interest groups. Policies aimed at revitalizing regional universities have raised concerns that they might instead accelerate the decline of these universities, and measures to reduce private education expenses have been delayed repeatedly. Announcing plans to reduce the number of new teachers for elementary, middle, and high schools by up to 30% by 2027 has drawn criticism from inside and outside the education community.

Additionally, to enhance teachers' professionalism in the digital age, the government announced plans to promote graduate schools of education and reform the teacher training system but reversed its position just three months after the announcement, deciding to postpone discussions on pilot operation plans for the graduate schools of education. Although the government formed a promotion committee for the integration of early childhood education, the early childhood education sector demands changing the kindergarten name to 'Yua School' and draws a line against integration with daycare centers.

Legislation on the running mate system for superintendent elections and the Education Freedom Special Zone Act, among four major bills, is also facing difficulties. Although various discussions with related groups and the expansion of public consensus are necessary, the current situation of a ruling party minority makes even revising related laws difficult. The Ministry of Education is making efforts to manage on-site opposition to each reform task, but related noise is expected to continue for the time being.

The pension special committee is also not easy. The National Assembly extended the activity period of the pension special committee by six months until October 31 at the plenary session on the 27th of last month. However, with next year's general election approaching, the prevailing view is that it will be difficult to reach an agreement. A private member of the pension special committee said in a phone interview, "It is true that the political circles find it difficult to propose a plan that includes the conclusion of paying more pension contributions, but there is a social consensus that responsibility must be taken in some way, so it will be difficult for each party not to present concrete plans ahead of the general election," adding, "The election results will show which party's agenda gains more support."