Investigation review committee to be established; 'Labor Case Investigation Rules' to be enacted

Regional briefings planned for all 49 local offices nationwide

Specialized training institute for inspectors targeted to open next year

Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon [Ministry of Employment and Labor]
Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon [Ministry of Employment and Labor]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor will establish its own investigative command structure ahead of the Oct. 2 independence of labor inspectors' investigative authority. The ministry plans to set up an investigation review committee and enact separate rules governing labor case investigations.

The ministry announced Wednesday that it will hold regional briefings for all 49 local employment and labor offices nationwide from Thursday through Monday to review preparations for the transfer of investigative authority.

The briefings will be attended by department and team heads from the ministry's headquarters and the labor standards supervision units at local offices. The sessions will share headquarters' preparations and gather field-level feedback on the new investigative framework.

The ministry plans to establish independent investigative command structures at each regional and district office, along with an investigation review committee to ensure fairness and objectivity. It is also working to draft an investigation manual and enact what it is tentatively calling the "Labor Case Investigation Rules."

To strengthen the expertise of labor inspectors, the ministry will expand rank-specific, case-based training. A dedicated professional training institute for inspectors is targeted to open next year.

The regional briefings will begin Thursday with the Seoul, central and Gyeonggi Province areas, followed by the Daegu and Busan areas on Friday, and the Daejeon and Gwangju areas on Monday.

Choi Gwan-byeong, head of the ministry's labor inspection policy division, called the independence of investigative authority for special judicial police officers "a historic turning point that grants labor inspectors greater power and responsibility," adding that the ministry would "create safe workplaces where basic rights are upheld through fair and rigorous investigations."


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