SEOUL, June 2 (Korea Bizwire) – Despite legal protections for maternity and parental leave in South Korea, new data reveals that many workers—particularly non-regular employees—continue to face pressure and retaliation for attempting to exercise these rights. The labor advocacy group Gapjil 119 on Sunday disclosed 58 cases of workplace mistreatment related to childbirth and parenting over [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Following a historic year of profitability, the white-collar labor union at SK Hynix has entered annual wage negotiations with a bold proposal: an 8.25% salary increase alongside expanded performance bonuses and benefits. The first round of 2025 wage talks was held on May 28 at the company’s Icheon campus, marking [...]
SEOUL, May 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has the highest employment rate among people aged 65 and older across the OECD, but the quality of jobs available to the elderly remains alarmingly low, driven by insufficient pension income and limited opportunities to leverage their lifelong careers. According to a recent report released by the National [...]
SEOUL, May 26 (Korea Bizwire) — When 29-year-old logistics worker Min-jun Lee came down with a high fever and chills last winter, he knew he needed rest. What he didn’t have, however, was a choice. “There’s no such thing as paid sick leave in my job,” he said. “If I don’t show up, I don’t [...]
Korean Delivery Workers Secure Voting Day Off Ahead of 2025 Presidential Election After Industry-Wide Pressure SEOUL, May 24 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea prepares for its 21st presidential election on June 3, a heated debate over delivery workers’ right to vote has drawn national attention — and ultimately, a resolution. Following mounting public pressure and [...]
SEOUL, May 23, 2025 (Korea Bizwire) – For the first time, the number of construction engineers aged 60 and older in South Korea has surpassed those in their 40s, signaling an accelerating demographic shift in the country’s construction sector. According to a report released Thursday by the Korea Construction Policy Institute, as of February 2025, 277,432 [...]
SEOUL, May 22, 2025 (Korea Bizwire) — Asiana Airlines is facing mounting criticism and potential legal action over plans to offer unequal severance packages to employees affected by the company’s upcoming sale of its cargo division to Air Incheon, scheduled for July. According to industry sources, Asiana recently notified staff that domestic employees in its [...]
SEOUL, May 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Roughly 230,000 foreign nationals worked in South Korea’s construction industry in 2024, accounting for 14.7% of the sector’s total workforce, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association. Of these, over 83% were ethnic Korean Chinese, or Joseonjok, highlighting their dominant role in [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has uncovered more than 1,100 unfair contract clauses across 23 major webtoon and web novel content providers (CPs), exposing widespread practices that undermine creators’ copyright protections and allow for the unauthorized use of derivative works. Following a comprehensive review of contract terms from companies [...]
SEOUL, May 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s rapidly increasing number of elderly self-employed workers—driven by baby boomer retirements and limited reemployment options—is emerging as a structural risk to the country’s financial stability and long-term economic growth, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a joint report with the Korea Development Institute (KDI) on Thursday. Released [...]