President Lee Presides Over Cabinet Meeting on the 9th
Criticizes Government for "Paying Only Minimum Wage to Non-Regular Workers"
"Conflicts Are Inevitable in the Reform Process"... Will Follow the Will of the People on Judicial Reform
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On December 9, President Lee Jaemyung emphasized that non-regular workers should receive higher wages than regular workers. He also instructed the government to ensure that appropriate wages above the minimum wage are paid first, and to check whether any ministries are engaging in hiring practices designed to avoid paying severance pay.
Additionally, regarding controversial bills such as the establishment of a special tribunal for insurrection and the introduction of a new crime of legal distortion-on which the Democratic Party of Korea has decided to slow down-he indirectly expressed his intention to proceed in accordance with the will of the people. He also cited the large-scale personal information leak at Coupang as an example, instructing the Fair Trade Commission to consider measures such as granting investigative authority and making fines more realistic in order to strengthen economic sanctions.
At the Cabinet meeting held at the presidential office in Yongsan that day, President Lee stated, "Equal and appropriate wages should be paid for the same work, but the government pays higher wages to those with regular positions or job security, even when they do the same work." He continued, "It should actually be the opposite. When job security is lower, wages should be higher."
Referring to the example of Australia, President Lee said, "In a rational society, non-regular workers are paid more for the same work," adding, "Here, we pay non-regular workers less-about 50 to 60 percent less." He criticized this, saying, "This blocks our society’s potential for development."
He also ordered the government to correct the practice of paying only the minimum wage when hiring workers. President Lee explained, "The government pays the minimum wage without exception to daily or non-regular workers," and clarified, "The minimum wage is a threshold below which wages must not fall, not a recommended wage." He added, "The government must pay a fair amount for labor," and warned, "It is wrong to think that paying the minimum wage for everything is somehow commendable."
He instructed Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Younghoon, "The government must take the lead. The Ministry of Employment and Labor needs to change its perception." At the same time, he ordered an investigation into whether the ministry and its affiliated agencies are paying appropriate wages to temporary workers, and how other government ministries and public enterprises are paying wages.
Regarding the so-called "split contract" practice, he strongly criticized the government, calling it "immoral." President Lee pointed out, "Even the government fires everyone after 1 year and 11 months because regular status is granted after two years," and added, "To avoid paying severance, they sign 11-month contracts, have workers rest for a month, and then rehire them." He stressed, "Positions that involve regular work should be filled with regular employees," and instructed, "Check whether the Ministry of Employment and Labor is doing this properly, and whether other ministries are doing the same, and issue corrective orders as needed."
Lee: "Conflict and resistance are inevitable to normalize irrationalities"... Will follow the will of the people on judicial reform, etc.
Furthermore, President Lee stated that he would carry out necessary tasks in accordance with the will of the people, even if conflicts arise during the legislative process. This is interpreted as referring to the legislative deadlock caused by strong opposition from the opposition party to controversial bills led by the Democratic Party of Korea, such as the special bill for establishing a special tribunal for insurrection, the new crime of legal distortion, and amendments to the Constitutional Court Act.
While expressing gratitude for the bipartisan agreement to pass next year’s budget bill within the legal deadline, President Lee emphasized, "Even if there are differences of opinion regarding legislation, I believe that, based on common sense and principles shared by the people, we can always handle matters rationally by respecting the will of the people, who are the sovereign."
He further explained, "The word 'reform' originally means to skin something," and added, "Change without conflict is not real change. If our society is to move in a better direction and normalize irrationalities, some degree of conflict and resistance is inevitable." Presidential spokesperson Kang Yujeong commented, "When it comes to opinions on legislation, we always respect the views of the National Assembly and observe the discussion process," clarifying, "President Lee's remarks were intended to highlight that there is always a process of coordination during the legislative process in the National Assembly." Kang also noted, "Since the government presented six reform tasks at its inception, it is only natural that there will be discomfort and areas that require coordination during this process," but added that there were no specific comments regarding judicial reform.
He also announced plans to transparently release the upcoming work briefings from all ministries, starting from December 11. President Lee plans to conduct work briefings for nearly 300 ministries and affiliated public institutions, beginning with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, by the end of the year.
President Lee stated, "Through these work briefings, we will accelerate the recovery of the people's livelihoods and the normalization of the country, and bring forward the great transformation of Korea by even a single step." He added, "In accordance with the principle of the public's right to know and transparent governance, except for matters that must remain confidential, I intend to broadcast the entire content of the work briefings live." He emphasized, "Next year, starting with reforms in six key areas, must be the starting point for a great national leap, where the public can tangibly feel the results of governance in their daily lives, leading to greater happiness for the people."
He also mentioned the growing global interest in K-Food due to the worldwide K-Culture phenomenon, and asked for thorough preparations, considering exports as a key spearhead. President Lee said, "Winning over people's palates is said to be the same as winning over their hearts," and promised, "The government will firmly support the takeoff of K-Food so that it can continue to grow as a strategic export industry beyond the domestic market." He instructed relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, to prepare comprehensive support measures such as overseas marketing, logistics support, development of tourism-linked products, and strengthening intellectual property protection.
President Lee, citing the Coupang incident, instructs: "Grant the Fair Trade Commission compulsory investigative authority, review measures to make fines more realistic"
In a subsequent closed-door meeting, President Lee instructed the Ministry of Government Legislation to review measures to grant the Fair Trade Commission compulsory investigative authority and to make economic sanctions such as fines more realistic. Citing the Coupang personal information leak, President Lee stated, "The current criminal law system imposes excessive social costs. Review ways to grant compulsory investigative authority in order to make punishment through economic sanctions more realistic." He also asked whether the process for withdrawing from platforms like Coupang is as simple as the process for joining.
Regarding wildfire response, President Lee instructed that it be made clear whether initial response responsibility lies with the Korea Forest Service or local governments. He also reviewed the response system for fires in high-rise and super high-rise buildings, emphasizing the importance of checking whether fire safety laws, such as securing evacuation routes, are being properly followed. In particular, President Lee stressed, "Prevention is key in fire safety," and suggested considering a reward system for public reports when combustible exterior materials are used.
Meanwhile, at the Cabinet meeting that day, the Lee Jaemyung administration's first main budget for next year, totaling 727.9 trillion won, was also approved. The government plans to significantly increase support, allocating a record 35.5 trillion won to research and development (R&D) and investing about 10 trillion won in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, with the goal of becoming one of the top three AI powerhouses.
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