'Edu-Stay' program begins this month, targeting rights protection by occupation

First cohort: vehicle inspectors working on used-car platforms

The Korea Labor Foundation at its new home on Chungjeong-ro in Seodaemun-gu [Korea Labor Foundation]
The Korea Labor Foundation at its new home on Chungjeong-ro in Seodaemun-gu [Korea Labor Foundation]

The Korea Labor Foundation will offer occupation-specific rights-protection education for freelancers, platform workers and other independent service providers to help them navigate unfair contracts and workplace injury risks.

The foundation announced Monday that it will begin operating "Edu-Stay," a rights-protection education program for independent service providers, starting this month.

While the platform labor and freelance markets are growing rapidly, rights violations — including unfair contracts, unpaid fees and exclusion from social insurance — remain persistent. The foundation said it aims to reduce gaps in institutional protection by providing practical education to independent service providers.

Edu-Stay focuses on building participants' capacity to prevent disputes and assert their own rights on the job. Moving away from short, one-way instruction, the program offers tailored education designed to strengthen legal and tax literacy as well as occupational expertise. Sessions that gather feedback directly from workers in the field are also built into the curriculum.

The first group to receive training will be vehicle inspection and appraisal specialists who work as freelancers on used-car trading platforms. The foundation said these workers face a range of difficulties, including unfair contracts, unstable income and the risk of workplace injuries.

Starting with education tailored to the specific characteristics and on-the-job challenges of vehicle appraisers, the foundation plans to extend the program throughout the year to workers in a variety of other occupations.

Park Jong-pil, secretary-general of the Korea Labor Foundation, said he hopes the program will "serve as a foundation for genuinely protecting the rights and strengthening the capabilities of independent service providers," adding that the foundation will "continue to listen to voices from the field and build a labor safety net that leaves no one behind."


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