Controversial Kim Moon-soo appointed as Minister of Employment and Labor

Kim Moon-soo.

Kim Moon-soo, chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, who has been criticized for his far-right and anti-labor moves, has been appointed as the Minister of Employment and Labor, and there is a sense of embarrassment within the ministry. There is also opposition from labor groups and opposition parties.

An employee of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Mr. A, said in a phone interview on August 1, “We are shocked and embarrassed. We all know what kind of person Kim is,“adding, ”It‘s embarrassing that a far-right YouTuber becomes a minister.”

Regarding the atmosphere of the ministry after the appointment, he said, "Some employees say they should go to another ministry. There are not a few people who feel disappointed and devastated."

Another Labor Ministry employee said, “When Kim was governor of Gyeonggi Province, he called the 119 center and said, ’I‘m the governor,’ and asked a fireman to state his official rank and name, and also he said, ‘It’s like conducting a ritual of death,‘ about the memorial service for victims of the Sewol ferry sinking. Isn't it wrong as a public official? The atmosphere in the ministry is unsettled with half-concern and half-fear." She added, “I am afraid that he will make hardline remarks (as he did in the past). The ministry, which deals with labor-management relations, needs a boss who has a good relationship with labor unions to make it good for employees to work, but we're also scared because it seems like he’s trying to oppress the unions.”

On his way to the office of the confirmation hearing preparation team in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Kim told reporters, “I will focus on protecting vulnerable laborers by applying the Labor Standards Act to workplaces with fewer than five employees.” He also expressed his opposition to the discussion on the differential application of the minimum wage. However, he drew the line on the amendment to the Labor Union Act (Yellow Envelope Law), which the labor community considers a "protection bill for the weak," saying, "It has side effects." Regarding the government’s reform plan on working hours, which caused the "controversy of weekly working hours up to 69 hours," he agreed on the general direction.

Regarding the criticism of his tendency of "far-right and anti-labor," he said, "I, my wife, my brother, and younger brother are all from labor unions, and I want to ask what they mean when they say I'm a person with an anti-labor tendency.”

Regarding his past remark that ”former President Moon Jae-in is an enthusiast of Kim Il-sung,“ he maintained his stance, saying, ”Moon said that thinker Shin Young-bok is the person he admires the most, but Shin is a person who overthrew the Republic of Korea and considers North Korea his motherland."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.