Focused Supervision on Clearing Unpaid Wages for Chuseok... Habitual and Intentional Wage Arrears Detected Nationwide

17th Time Habitual Nonpayment Interior Business Owner Arrested

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 12th that during the intensive guidance period for clearing unpaid wages ahead of the Chuseok holiday, wage arrears inspections were conducted at about 2,000 workplaces, unpaid wages were cleared, and related investigations were carried out.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has been operating the intensive guidance period for clearing unpaid wages for three weeks from the 26th of last month to the 13th of this month. During this period, 48 local offices nationwide are conducting field activities to ensure that unpaid wages are immediately cleared. In particular, this year, labor inspections are being focused on vulnerable industries such as construction and information and communication sectors, where wage arrears have recently increased.

The Seoul Northern Branch directly visited a workplace where wages for 74 workers amounting to 120 million won for July were unpaid, ensuring that the full amount of unpaid wages was paid on the same day. The Yeosu Branch Chief responded to a collective wage arrears case involving 311 affected workers at a construction site by dispatching the wage arrears clearance task force to the site, identifying the cause of the arrears, and guiding the payment so that the full amount of 1.65 billion won in unpaid wages was paid.

Investigations into habitual wage arrears employers are also underway. The Gyeonggi Branch arrested interior contractor Mr. G on the 11th for continuously withholding wages at construction sites. Mr. G is suspected of withholding about 37 million won in wages from 35 daily construction workers. He has a history of being fined 17 times for wage arrears at various construction sites and is currently undergoing two ongoing trials.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "We will mobilize all our capabilities during the remaining intensive guidance period to focus on clearing unpaid wages."