Farewell Ceremony Held After Resignation Announcement on the 8th
"Korea Is Facing Difficulties"
Kim Moon-soo, Minister of Employment and Labor, stated on the 8th, "Now is the time to rebuild the great Republic of Korea," and announced, "I intend to run in the presidential election to be held on June 3rd."
Minister Kim made these remarks at the Ministry of Employment and Labor farewell ceremony held at the Government Complex Sejong in the afternoon. Earlier that morning, he expressed his intention to resign at the Cabinet meeting, explaining the background of his early presidential election candidacy by saying, "The presidency is vacant, the livelihood of the people is difficult, and young people are facing a reality where it is hard to dream of the future."
On the 8th, immediately after the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno, Seoul, Kim Moon-soo, Minister of Labor, who resigned from his ministerial position and is running in the early presidential election, is leaving the office and answering reporters' questions.
Since joining the Ministry of Employment and Labor last August, Minister Kim shared his reflections on the work he carried out as minister that day. He said, "The first order I gave as minister was to eradicate wage arrears," adding, "Although we could not solve it all at once amid difficult economic conditions, the labor inspectors worked hard." He continued, "Facing the structural limitation that 40% of unpaid wages are severance pay, we also promoted the mandatory retirement pension."
Minister Kim said, "The industrial environment is rapidly changing," and added, "In the platform era and the artificial intelligence (AI) era, new jobs are emerging, and there are labor vulnerable groups who are difficult to protect under the existing Labor Standards Act designed for large factory systems." He also said, "There are many labor vulnerable groups in the workplace who urgently need protection and support," and urged, "The Labor Vulnerable Protection Act is pending in the National Assembly, and I hope efforts to enact the law will continue."
Regarding youth employment difficulties, he said, "I met many young people at various occasions such as roundtable meetings, training sites, and job fairs, and each time I felt a heavy sense of responsibility." He mentioned, "The number of unemployed youth exceeded 500,000," emphasizing, "Opening the door of opportunity to the youth, who are the future leaders, is the labor reform task we must solve first."
On the issue of continuous employment, he said, "I aimed to promote a balanced approach that aligns with the reality of companies and harmonizes with young people who want to be employed at the boundary of unorganized status." He also mentioned, "Low-priced goods from China are flooding in, tariff shocks from the United States are looming over us, and the AI era is changing the form of jobs," stating, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor has a lot to do in the face of these triple waves."
Minister Kim said, "I will continue to work more passionately from a lower position," and added, "I will support labor and management to coexist through dialogue and compromise so that companies regain vitality and create more employment, and continue to help improve workers' lives." He concluded, "Though the place may be different, my heart will be with the Ministry of Employment and Labor family," and said, "Now, I want to move forward anew toward the great Republic of Korea."
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