Ex-Gyeonggi governor named new labor minister, but faces opposition

Labor Minister nominee Kim Moon-soo is seen at a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol nominated Kim Moon-soo, a seasoned conservative politician and a former labor activist who recently served as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, as the new labor minister on Wednesday.

Kim, who is currently a chair of the presidential advisory body the Economic, Social and Labor Council, will succeed Lee Jung-sik once he gets Yoon's final approval after going through a parliamentary hearing. Yoon is likely to push for appointing the former Gyeonggi governor without the consent of the opposition-controlled parliament. He is expected to face heated criticism from the Democratic Party due to the governor's past controversial remarks, which labeled some liberal party members as pro-North Korea.

Once a high-profile figure in South Korea's labor movement in the 1970s and 1980s, Kim, 72, spent 10 years as a conservative lawmaker -- serving two full terms and one partial term -- until 2006. Afterward, he served two terms as the governor of Gyeonggi Province until 2014. He has chaired the Economic, Social and Labor Council since September 2022.

Chung Jin-suk, chief of staff for President Yoon, told reporters Wednesday that Kim is the right fit for the position tasked with "completing labor reform" propelled by the conservative Yoon administration. He cited Kim's "vast experience in labor front, legislative branch and administrative field," as well as his ability to communicate and compromise with parties concerned with labor reform.

Kim said Wednesday that his priority is to "protect the marginalized" as he vowed to protect the unorganized labor force, including self-employed workers and workers in companies with less than five employees.

He also acknowledged that the Yoon administration's labor reform "has borne fruit," citing a sharp decline in loss of productivity due to labor disputes under Yoon's presidency. According to the Labor Ministry's estimate, the average length of time workers were absent for a labor dispute stood at 9 days in 2023, in contrast with 22.6 days in 2021 and 29.9 days in 2015.

Yoon, who took the oath of office in May 2022, has consistently called for labor reform and manifested a "rule of law" approach to handling unionized workers' activities. South Korea is home to over 28 million workers.

In this file photo taken in September 2014, the Labor Minister nominee Kim Moon-soo, who was then a member of Saenuri Party -- a precursor to the People Power Party -- is seen driving a taxi to experience the lives of a taxi driver in Daegu. (Yonhap)

Yoon's nomination of Kim is unlikely to be welcomed by the opposition parties, as Kim on Wednesday criticized the so-called "Yellow Envelope bill" -- aimed at providing immunity to workers who caused damage for going on strike -- for "conflicting with the Constitution and the civil law." He also described South Korea's basic income level as "significantly high."

Kim's outspoken nature has often sparked controversy. On the latest of such occasions, Kim in October 2022 labeled some party members of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea as followers of pro-North Korean ideology, and addressed former liberal president Moon Jae-in as a figure potentially obeying Kim Il-sung, the late founder of the North Korean regime. The remarks during a parliamentary audit prompted Kim to be forced out of the venue.

Yoon's nomination of Kim prompted an immediate backlash. Rep. Kang Yu-jung, a floor spokesperson of the Democratic Party, described the nominee as the "anti-labor figure" who "frequented anti-labor remarks on (his) YouTube (appearance) and instigated hatred toward labor unions."

Lawmakers who are members of the Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly said the decision would "put an entire ministry in the hands of a far-right YouTuber."

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the major umbrella groups in South Korea, said the nomination will worsen the policy toward labor rights improvement, which would eventually "eliminate labor unions" here.

Meanwhile, Yoon on Wednesday also nominated Choe Hyoung-chan, South Korean ambassador to the Netherlands, as the head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, a vice-ministerial position. Choe will replace Park Cheol-hee, who was named as the new ambassador to Japan. Also, Sim Seung-seob, former chief of naval operations for the South Korean Navy, was named as the ambassador to Australia, according to Yoon's office.

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)