Presidential Office: "Labor Principles Cannot Be Changed to Maintain the Tripartite Commission"

Presidential Office Official: "Should We Turn a Blind Eye to Illegal Acts?"

The Presidential Office stated on the 8th that regarding the Korean Federation of Trade Unions' (KCTU) declaration of full withdrawal from the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC) due to the police's harsh crackdown on union members, "Should we turn a blind eye to illegal acts? The ESLC is important, but we cannot change the principles of labor policy just to maintain it."

A key official from the Presidential Office, when a reporter met at the Yongsan Presidential Office and mentioned that the KCTU's withdrawal from the ESLC is expected to stall labor reforms, responded, "I clearly state that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's labor policy principles are not influenced by protests," and made the above remarks.

The official said, "It seems they are referring to the Gwangyang Steelworks protest. As you know well, they occupied four out of six lanes and staged a high-altitude sit-in, and the police gave them two days."

He continued, "Since the protesting union members did not come down, the police had to resolve the situation, but when they went up, they were wielding machetes. So when the police went up with shields, they swung iron pipes," and questioned, "Is it right to leave that situation unattended? Should we turn a blind eye to illegal acts?" He then emphasized, "I don't know if previous administrations did that, but the Yoon Seok-yeol government cannot do that."

The KCTU, after declaring non-participation in the ESLC the previous day, held a press conference in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning, stating, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government's law and principles mean suppressing the labor movement with public authority as a weapon to force submission. That is not dialogue but intimidation," and announced they would launch a full-scale struggle to judge the Yoon administration.

In a Q&A session after the press conference, Chairman Kim Dong-myeong was asked about the possibility of withdrawing from the ESLC beyond just suspending participation. He replied, "(Dialogue) being completely halted means withdrawal does not hold much significance," adding, "Dialogue could be suspended or withdrawal could happen throughout the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. If there is no change, it will proceed that way." He also demanded, "Fundamentally, President Yoon must recognize and respect workers as dialogue partners."

[Image source=Yonhap News]