SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Labor unrest is intensifying at GM Korea as the automaker presses ahead with plans to shut down its company-run repair centers, prompting protests, legal action and growing concerns over disruptions to customer service. The dispute centers on GM Korea’s decision, announced last year, to close all nine of its directly [...]
ULSAN, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean court on Tuesday acquitted former labor union leaders at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries who had removed facial-recognition access equipment from the company’s shipyard, ruling that their actions constituted a legitimate response to an imminent violation of workers’ rights. The Ulsan District Court found 13 former officials [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s General Motors unit is facing legal resistance from its labor union over plans to shut down company-run repair centers, a move workers say threatens both labor agreements and consumer safety. The GM Korea Branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union said Monday it has filed for a court [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Motor Group’s ambitious plan to position humanoid robots as a pillar of its future growth is facing stiff internal resistance, as labor leaders move to block the introduction of robots on production lines without formal agreement. The conflict emerged this week after Hyundai’s powerful labor union warned that no [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s artificial intelligence–based labor law consultation service recorded more than 117,000 inquiries last year, underscoring growing demand for round-the-clock guidance on wages, working hours and employment rights, the Labor Ministry said Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, usage of the AI-powered service rose sharply in 2025, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing share of young South Koreans are stepping away from the labor market altogether, a shift that economists say reflects deeper structural strains in an economy struggling to adapt to technological change and slowing growth. According to a report released Tuesday by the Bank of Korea, the proportion of [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Older South Koreans participating in government-sponsored job programs earned an average of about 405,000 won ($300) a month last year, with most saying the primary reason for working was to cover basic living expenses, according to a nationwide survey released Monday. The study, published by the Korea Labor Force Development [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A large majority of South Korean workers say the rapid spread of artificial intelligence is likely to widen labor-market inequality and deepen wealth polarization, according to a new nationwide survey. The poll, conducted in October 2025 by research firm Global Research on behalf of the labor advocacy group Workplace Abuse [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Young workers in South Korea are increasingly gravitating toward large corporations, even as employment at small businesses shrinks to historic lows — a widening divide that is reshaping the country’s labor market. Government microdata from the Economically Active Population Survey show that in 2025, the number of people in their [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Unionized city bus drivers in Seoul began an indefinite strike early Tuesday after marathon wage talks with management collapsed, bringing all intracity bus services to a halt and raising fears of widespread commuting disruptions in the capital. Negotiations stretched for more than 10 hours into the early morning, but ended [...]