Despite the ‘abuse of power allegations’ against Ministerial candidate Kang Sun-woo of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the presidential office maintains its intention to appoint her, and the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea supports candidate Kang. However, some members of the Democratic Party have raised their voices publicly, stating, ‘We must work to improve the labor rights of staff.’
On the 22nd, Representative Lee So-young mentioned the comments made by Floor Leader Moon Jin-seok in support of candidate Kang on her Facebook, pointing out that ‘the relationship between a workplace superior and employee, as well as the relationship between a member of parliament and their staff, are fundamentally similar in that one side holds personnel authority and there exists a hierarchy between them.’
Earlier, during a CBS radio interview, Floor Leader Moon noted, ‘The abuse of power in general workplace settings and the relationship between staff and members of parliament has slightly different characteristics,’ adding that there are staff who perform their duties well without complaints, even in personal tasks. ‘There are staff who do so with a voluntary mindset,’ he remarked in praise of candidate Kang. Although Kang clarified the allegations of having directed personal tasks such as repairing her home bathroom or waste disposal during the personnel hearing, controversy did not subside.
Representative Lee stated, ‘In cases where one thinks that the other party voluntarily accepted because the relationship is too close and comradely, it is likely a misunderstanding.’ She added, ‘Claims such as “We are in a special relationship, so it’s okay” or “Staff are different from regular workers” are not consistent with the Democratic Party, which has emphasized labor sensitivity.’
She continued, ‘I, too, may have had moments of insensitivity during my five years in the National Assembly, and I have come to think that I may have unintentionally hurt someone, which is why I have refrained from speaking about this issue.’ She emphasized, ‘Nevertheless, creating a discriminatory logic that we are an exception is something to be vigilant against.’
She stated, ‘If there are outdated practices and habits within us that do not match the public’s expectations, all members of parliament, including myself, should reflect and awaken to this opportunity and work together on institutional improvements.’ She suggested discussing the enhancement of labor rights for staff at the party level.
Similarly, Democratic Party member Choi Min-hee also mentioned on Facebook that, ‘Separately from the authenticity of the currently raised ‘unfair labor practice’ within one member’s office, I proposed that our youngest secretary draft a bill for improving labor rights and treatment for staff.’
High work intensity and employment instability for staff have been raised as issues multiple times, but related legislation remains relatively rare. Since May 2022, a ‘National Assembly staff dismissal notification system’ has been implemented. If a member of parliament requests a dismissal against the will of their staff, they must submit a ‘request for dismissal’ to the National Assembly Secretariat at least 30 days prior to the dismissal date to ensure that staff are not fired on the same day.
Some voices suggest that the fact that members of parliament have the authority to hire and fire their staff is the fundamental cause and argue for recruiting staff through a national examination or establishing an objective appointment and evaluation system. However, it is observed that as long as members of parliament are driving the legislation, actualization is not easy. A staff member from a Democratic Party office stated, ‘While there may be a possibility of introducing a legislative support staff system, would members run with it? Some higher-ranking staff may also oppose it.’