Kim Moon-soo, the nominee for the new labor minister, speaks during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Newsis Kim opposes separate minimum wage system for foreign workers By Jung Min-ho Opposition lawmakers attacked Kim Moon-soo, the labor minister nominee, for being “anti-labor” over his past remarks during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. At Monday’s hearing, lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea focused their criticism largely on his controversial comments rather than his policy ideas, saying he is unqualified to assume the post that requires commitment to improving the rights of workers.
The comments include one in which Kim said he was “touched” by a company that does not have any labor union after his visit there last year. When pressured to apologize over his past remarks, Kim did, saying he was “sorry for those who were hurt” by them. Kim’s hard-right political views were also a target of liberal lawmakers.
Asked whether he still held a sympathetic view of the ousted former President Park Geun-hye, Kim said he did, and that the court ruling that convicted her on corruption charges would be reevaluated eventually. In his written response sent to lawmakers previously, Kim expressed his opposition to the introduction of a separate minimum wage system for foreign workers, a policy idea backed by many ruling party politicians. Kim said it would require a careful approach, given that such a policy could violate the Constitution and the International Labor Organization Constitution (ILO), both of which ban discrimination.
His remarks come at a time when political heavyweights from the People Power Party such as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Rep. Na Kyung-won are openly calling for the adoption of a different wage system for non-Korean workers as part of the effort to bring down labor cost for citizens. This issue has drawn extensive public attention over the past three weeks after the arrival of 100 Filipino caregivers earlier this month.
Introduced as part of a program to help Korean parents raise their children, it has been criticized for its high cost, as hiring a full-time worker would cost more than 2 million won ($1,500) a month, an amount that would be deemed a luxury for most ordinary parents. Article 11 of the Constitution says, “All citizens shall be equal before the law, and there shall be no discrimination in political, economic, social or cultural life on account of sex, religion or social status.” While some believe the spirit of the clause applies to all people regardless of their citizenship status, others argue that’s not what the clause precisely stipulates.
Meanwhile, the ILO’s principal instrument clearly disallows discrimination based on national extraction, race, color, sex, religion, political opinion and social origin. As a longtime activist in the labor movement in the 1970s and 1980s before entering politics, Kim said he would continue to be the champion of ordinary workers while leading the efforts to reform Korea’s labor system to make it more sustainable amid the country’s low birthrate. “With new legislation for the protection of the most vulnerable workers, I would step up my efforts to produce the tangible results they can feel.
Cases of overdue wages have increased recently. The government would proactively attempt to eradicate this problem,” Kim said. “There should be more job opportunities for old people.
Through more talks, I would try my best to find the right solution for the coexistence of workers and firms as well as young and old people ...
Also, the government would expand support (for those juggling their careers and children).”.
