Gwangju Employers Federation Calls for Regulatory Easing in New Industries and Labor as Presidential Election Pledge

"Excessive Regulations in the Labor Sector Must Be Improved"

The Gwangju Employers Federation has identified "regulatory easing" as its second key policy proposal, following the revitalization of small businesses and traditional markets, in light of the early presidential election scheduled for June 3.

On May 8, the Gwangju Employers Federation issued a press release stating, "Regulatory easing aims to reform regulations that hinder corporate autonomy and creativity, and that impose unnecessary burdens on business operations."

The organization emphasized the need to ease regulations in four areas: ▲new industries ▲environment and safety ▲labor ▲location and facility investment.

The organization stated, "In rapidly evolving new industries such as AI, future mobility, and biohealth, outdated or pre-approval-based regulations that block the market entry of new technologies and services should be shifted to a negative regulatory system (generally permitted, exceptions prohibited).While environmental protection and industrial safety are extremely important, uniform and excessive regulations that do not take into account the practical compliance capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises need to be improved. In particular, for controversial regulations such as the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, it is necessary to address ambiguities and make improvements to enhance acceptance in the field," it said.

It continued, "Regulations that undermine labor market flexibility, such as sharp increases in the minimum wage or rigid working hour systems, should be reasonably reformed to reduce the burden of workforce management for businesses and to lay the foundation for labor-management coexistence." The organization also explained, "Complex and overlapping licensing procedures encountered during the establishment or expansion of factories and the introduction of new facilities should be simplified, and related regulations should be eased to promote corporate investment."