Kim Young-hoon, a candidate nominated as the first Minister of Employment and Labor in the Lee Jae-myung administration, said on the 24th regarding the introduction of the extension of retirement age and a 4.5-day workweek, "It is a path we must take."
That day, candidate Kim reported to the office prepared for the confirmation hearing at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office located in Jung-gu, Seoul, and met with the press.
He said regarding the demands from the labor sector for the introduction of a 4.5-day workweek and the extension of retirement age, "Reducing work hours is a powerful means to overcome the crisis posed by demographic changes, such as digital transformation, low birth rates, and aging."
Candidate Kim also noted regarding his nomination as the Minister of Employment and Labor, "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility, and it is true that fear outweighs excitement," adding, "However, I accept the mandate from the sovereign to create a country where everyone can work happily and will do my best in the duties assigned to me."
When asked about the "urgent tasks of the labor market," he responded, "In the past, the issue was centered on regular and irregular workers, but now there are wage workers who are neither. It is essential and pressing to protect the work rights of those who are broadly outside legal protections, ordinary neighbors who work."
In response to the question about what role he would play in relation to "social dialogue," he said, "There are various citizens who cannot be encompassed by labor-management relations, and protection functions need to operate to protect them, and creating this function is social dialogue," adding, "The process of the three parties in labor-management relations gathering to discuss is very important."
When asked about his mindset comparing his time as the chairperson of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in the past to now after his nomination as Minister of Employment and Labor, he said, "I will always remember where I came from, but (as Minister of Employment and Labor) it is a position to manage labor administration for all working citizens," adding, "I believe that the administration changes when the place one stands changes." Candidate Kim served as the 9th chairperson of KCTU from 2010 to 2012.
Meanwhile, on Kim's first day of work, a member of the Eastern Region Jewelry Division of the Metal Workers' Union held a placard demanding supervisory action against illegal jewelry workplaces. In response, Kim said, "I will take good care of it."
Earlier, the presidential office announced on the 23rd that it would appoint Kim as the Minister of Employment and Labor. Born in 1968, Kim hails from Busan and was a train operator affiliated with the Busan-Gyeongnam Headquarters of Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) when the presidential office announced his appointment. He was operating ITX-Saemaul train 1008, which was heading to Seoul from Busan, the day before. However, on the morning of that day, he applied for honorary retirement from KORAIL.