KCTU Officially Moves to Legally Extend Retirement Age

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has officially announced its stance to push for the extension of the statutory retirement age.

The National Metalworkers' Union, Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors, and Korea GM, the three completed car manufacturers, held a press conference on the 3rd in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, urging legislation for retirement age extension linked to the National Pension Service. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The KCTU held a Central Executive Committee meeting on the 20th and announced on the 21st that a proposal to legislate the extension of the retirement age in accordance with the pension eligibility age was passed.

The KCTU decided to clearly establish the discussion framework for extending the statutory retirement age in conjunction with discussions on the social insurance (pension) system and to fight to resolve the discrepancy between the public pension eligibility age and the retirement age. This is the first time the KCTU has officially declared its intention to push for the extension of the statutory retirement age.

The KCTU also urges the government to prepare support measures so that the system can be effectively established for small and medium-sized enterprises and non-regular workers when the statutory retirement age is extended. They also plan to propose lowering the public pension eligibility age.

They stated plans to block the government’s 'continued employment' policy, which is known to be promoted with a user-centered selective reemployment approach, arguing that it would deteriorate wages and working conditions.

They will also prevent the introduction of wage peak systems justified by retirement age extension. To address anticipated side effects such as the reduction of youth jobs, they plan to raise their voices for amendments to the definition of workers in the Labor Standards Act and Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act.

Jeon Ho-il, spokesperson for the KCTU, said, "We make it clear that the labor sector will never accept the reemployment method after retirement," adding, "We plan to carry out separate measures and struggles to address the side effects and concerns arising from the extension of the statutory retirement age."