DANGJIN, Oct. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — A new safety initiative by Hyundai Steel Co. has sparked a labor dispute after the company deployed four-legged patrol robots at its Dangjin plant, with the metalworkers’ union accusing the firm of using the technology to monitor workers rather than protect them. The Korean Metal Workers’ Union, affiliated with [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — A popular bakery chain’s plan to close for a day to hold an employee sports festival has ignited an unexpected debate over changing attitudes toward workplace bonding in South Korea. Sungsimdang, a renowned bakery in the central city of Daejeon known for drawing tourists from across the country, announced that [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean high school graduates who fail to secure employment within three months of finishing school face dramatically lower chances of landing stable, well-paying jobs, according to new research released Thursday. The study, conducted by the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI), analyzed 792 high school graduates who did not pursue [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting Thursday, South Korea began enforcing a revised labor law that allows employees to seek punitive damages of up to three times the amount of unpaid wages from employers who intentionally withhold pay, as part of a broader effort to crack down on chronic wage arrears. The Ministry of Employment [...]
SEJONG, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s non-regular workforce has climbed to its highest level on record, surpassing 8.56 million as of August, with older workers driving much of the increase and the wage gap between regular and non-regular employees widening to an all-time high, government data showed Wednesday. According to the National Data Office’s [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul Metropolitan Council is taking a landmark step toward acknowledging the economic and social value of unpaid labor traditionally carried out by women. Council Chair Choi Ho-jung announced Tuesday the introduction of an ordinance that would allow women who have spent years in household management or caregiving roles to [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that resident doctors at general hospitals are entitled to overtime and night-shift pay under the Labor Standards Act, marking a major decision that reinforces labor protections for medical trainees. The court upheld a lower court ruling in favor of three former emergency medicine residents [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang has found itself at the center of a political and legal storm after a prosecutor alleged that senior officials pressured investigators to clear the company of wrongdoing in a wage-related case — a revelation that has reignited debate over prosecutorial reform and cast new scrutiny [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite six years under South Korea’s workplace bullying ban, nearly one in three employees who experience or witness such abuse choose not to report it, often fearing retaliation or reputational harm, a new government survey shows. According to data obtained by Rep. Kim Wi-sang of the People Power Party from [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly 70 percent of South Korean workers believe it is difficult for women to become corporate executives, reflecting persistent gender inequality in the country’s workplace culture, according to a new survey. The poll, conducted by labor rights group Workplace Gapjil 119 and research firm Global Research, surveyed 1,000 employees nationwide [...]