People Power Party: "Government and Ruling Party Must Stop Forcing Through Yellow Envelope Act if They Care About the Economy"

Request to Postpone Plenary Session Until After Party Convention
Business Community Calls for Rational Legislation

On August 19, the People Power Party demanded a halt to the so-called Yellow Envelope Act (amendments to the Labor Relations Act) and the Commercial Act amendment, which the Democratic Party of Korea is pushing forward, calling them "malicious laws."

Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, stated at the party's Floor Strategy Meeting held at the National Assembly that day, "The Democratic Party is planning to convene a plenary session on the 21st to finalize the passage of the Broadcasting Control Act and is determined to push through anti-market, malicious laws such as the Illegal Strike Encouragement Act and the Dussen Commercial Act." He continued, "If the government and the ruling party have even the slightest concern for the Republic of Korea and its economy, they must immediately stop pushing through anti-business, malicious laws such as the Yellow Envelope Act, which would turn Korea into a republic of strikes, and the Dussen Commercial Act, which would drive companies overseas."

Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Floor Strategy Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 19th. 2025.8.19 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The Yellow Envelope Act refers to amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Relations Act. It includes provisions that classify those who exercise substantial control over workers' working conditions as "employers," even if they do not have a direct employment contract, thus allowing subcontracted workers to negotiate directly with the primary contractor. It also expands the legally recognized scope of strikes and restricts companies' ability to claim damages against striking workers. The Dussen Commercial Act, in addition to the Commercial Act amendment passed by the National Assembly last month (which expanded directors' fiduciary duty from the "company" to the "company and shareholders"), requires listed companies with assets of 2 trillion won or more to introduce cumulative voting by their articles of incorporation and expands the separate election of audit committee members.

Regarding this, Chairman Song said, "Yesterday, Song Kyungshik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, along with the heads of the six major economic organizations, held a press conference at the National Assembly, and today they are appealing through a resolution rally to halt the passage of these anti-market, malicious laws." He criticized, "The Lee Jaemyung administration, which has shut its ears, is obsessed only with a legislative speed race to carry out the orders of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions." He added, "Once again, I strongly urge the business community and both ruling and opposition parties to work together for rational, pro-economy, pro-market, and pro-business legislation."

Chairman Song also argued that the plenary session schedule should be postponed because the People Power Party is holding a national convention. He said, "Whether it's the special prosecutor's team raiding our central party headquarters like a burglary during our joint speech event, or the ruling party insisting on holding a plenary session to pass malicious laws the day before our convention, I do not understand why there is such desperation to disrupt the opposition party's convention." In this regard, Chairman Song stated, "We, the People Power Party, officially request Speaker Woo to postpone the plenary session until after the party convention."