On the 28th, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises hosted a meeting with Hong Joon-pyo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, and small business owners at the KBIZ in Yeouido, Seoul.
On that day, candidate Hong Joon-pyo visited the KBIZ with Kim Dae-sik, a member of the National Assembly and secretary to the People Power Party's presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo.
In the small business sector, over 40 attendees included Kim Gi-moon, president of KBIZ; Yoon Hak-su, president of the Korea Federation of Construction Industry; Cho In-ho, president of the Korea Machinery and Equipment Construction Association; Park Chang-sook, president of the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association; Song Chi-young, president of the Small Business Alliance; Kang Hwan-soo, president of the Korea Federation of Small Business Convergence; and Seong Mi-sook, president of the Korea Women Venture Association.
Attending small business owners requested the establishment of a new population department to respond to the ongoing population crisis, the establishment of a Presidential Innovation Transition Committee for the revival of small manufacturing, and the right to request negotiations for small business cooperatives. They also requested support to reduce industrial accidents in small businesses through a preventive approach, the establishment of a realistic working hours system, and the rationalization of the minimum wage system.
Kim Gi-moon, president of KBIZ, said, "Hong Joon-pyo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is a politician who has taken the lead in correcting the unfair economic structure and dismantling vested interests" and added, "I hope that the three major labor issues, including the 52-hour workweek, minimum wage, and Serious Accidents Punishment Act, will definitely be improved."
In response, candidate Hong Joon-pyo promised to flexibly operate the 52-hour workweek and to reform the minimum wage system.
Hong noted, "We will not only flexibly operate the 52-hour workweek but also strengthen corporations' flexibility regarding layoffs," adding, "In Korea, it is legally difficult to fire employees, leading corporations to hire non-regular workers instead of regular employees. This has caused disputes over the disparities between regular and non-regular workers." He continued, "If we flexibly implement a 5-hour workweek and allow layoffs to be flexible, this issue can be resolved."
Hong also emphasized the need for reforms to the minimum wage system. He stated, "We need to improve the current structure where the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which represents unions of large corporations, dictates the minimum wage," and suggested, "We should consider applying different minimum wages based on regions, industries, and foreign or domestic workers." Additionally, regarding inheritance tax for small businesses, Hong mentioned, "We should exempt inheritance tax when passing on small business ownership to maintain the sustainability of small businesses."