Gangwon Province Becomes First in Nation to Conclude Year-End Wage Agreement for Two Consecutive Years, Achieving Labor-Management Cooperation

Governor Kim Jintae: "Public Officials Are One Family"
Province Concludes Wage Negotiations Within the Year for Two Consecutive Years
Sharing the Vision for a Cooperative Labor-Management Relationship in 2026

On December 24, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jintae) announced that Governor Kim Jintae and the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Public Officials Labor Union (Chairperson Yoon Jeongae, hereinafter referred to as the Public Officials Labor Union) held a meeting to strengthen communication.

Kim Jintae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and Yoon Jeongae, Chairperson of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Public Officials Labor Union, are taking a commemorative photo after holding a meeting to strengthen communication. Provided by Gangwon Province

This meeting was organized to commend the dedicated efforts of public officials who have worked on the front lines of provincial administration throughout the year and to move toward a more stable and mutually beneficial labor-management relationship ahead of 2026.

This year, the province achieved significant results in overall labor-management relations, based on close communication with the Public Officials Labor Union.

First, in June, the province signed a collective agreement with the union to improve working conditions, which included expanding the period of parental leave and conducting domestic benchmarking visits for exemplary public officials.

Despite challenging fiscal conditions, the province also concluded a 2026 wage agreement that includes a 3.5% wage increase and an increase in job allowances to improve the treatment of low-wage positions.

Notably, the province achieved the distinction of being the first in the country to conclude a wage agreement within the year for two consecutive years. This is seen as an improvement over the previous practice of retroactively paying wages after wage negotiations carried over into the following year. Compared to some metropolitan governments that are still negotiating 2025 wages, this is regarded as a symbolic example of a stable and exemplary labor-management relationship.

Additionally, in July, the province transferred the department responsible for public officials from the Corporate Support Division to the General Affairs Division to streamline the management system. It has also continued efforts to establish a cooperative labor-management culture by operating on-site meetings throughout the year to directly listen to labor and management concerns.

Chairperson Yoon Jeongae stated, "We are the first in the nation to conclude a wage agreement within the year for two consecutive years," adding, "I believe a stable labor-management relationship is gradually taking root based on mutual trust." She continued, "We will continue to foster a cooperative labor-management culture through mutual respect and communication."

Governor Kim Jintae said, "Each and every public official is a member of our provincial government family," and added, "We will continue to pay attention to the challenges faced in the field and strive to create an environment where everyone can work with pride."

The province plans to further strengthen cooperation with the Public Officials Labor Union in 2026.

To this end, the province will unify the management of public officials, which is currently dispersed across several departments, by establishing a dedicated control tower for more systematic and efficient personnel management. In addition, based on agreements reached in wage negotiations from 2023 to 2025, the province will accelerate efforts to rationalize the wage system through job analysis, focusing on a joint labor-management consultative body.