Meeting of Labor Policy Heads from Korea, China, Japan, and ASEAN... Adoption of Joint Declaration on International Cooperation

ASEAN+3 Labor Ministers' Meeting Held
Attended by Deputy Minister of Employment Kim Min-seok as Representative

The heads of labor policies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Korea, China, and Japan gathered to discuss ways to cooperate amid changing environments and included the results in a joint declaration.

Photo by Ministry of Employment and Labor

Kim Min-seok, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, attended the 13th ASEAN+3 Labor Ministers' Meeting held in Singapore on the 31st (local time). This meeting was held to discuss international cooperation on labor issues among the 10 ASEAN countries including Singapore (chair country), Cambodia, and Vietnam, as well as Korea, China, and Japan.

Under the theme of "Strengthening Resilience and Promoting Innovation," representatives from each country shared member countries' policies for sustainable growth amid environmental changes such as digital transformation and the climate crisis, and discussed ways to cooperate mutually. Based on the discussions, they adopted a joint declaration confirming and advancing labor cooperation among ASEAN+3 countries.

In his keynote speech as the chief representative, Vice Minister Kim stated that as part of labor reform, "We are promoting the enactment of laws to protect vulnerable workers, such as platform workers and workers in special forms of employment." He added, "In preparation for upcoming crises such as digital transformation and green transition, we are fostering skilled workers specialized in new technology fields and preparing through the enactment of the Industrial Transition Employment Stability Act to respond to rapid industrial changes."

Vice Minister Kim also held bilateral talks with the Minister of Labor and Vocational Training of Cambodia and others, discussing cooperation measures in employment and labor fields including the employment permit system. He also took time to listen to the difficulties faced by Korean youth employed in Singapore through the 'K-Move School' program and encouraged them.

ASEAN+3 is a system that was formalized after ASEAN, established in 1967, invited the leaders of Korea, China, and Japan to the first ASEAN+3 Summit in 1997. ASEAN established the Labor Ministers' Meeting in 1975 to discuss labor issues among countries, and since 2002, it has invited the labor ministers of Korea, China, and Japan to hold the ASEAN+3 Labor Ministers' Meeting biennially.