Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok (right) and Federation of Korean Trade Unions Chairman Kim Dong-myung pose for a photo at a high-level policy consultation meeting between the Democratic Party and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok (right) and Federation of Korean Trade Unions Chairman Kim Dong-myung pose for a photo at a high-level policy consultation meeting between the Democratic Party and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok met with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions on Tuesday to discuss major labor issues, including a legal extension of the mandatory retirement age.

Following a high-level policy consultation held at the federation's Yeouido office, the Democratic Party said it would "make every effort to pass" legislation raising the statutory retirement age to 65 by the end of the year. Party spokesperson Lee Yong-woo conveyed the message to reporters after the meeting.

Lee said the party plans to proceed through a process in which a special committee drafts and introduces the bill, which the Climate, Environment and Labor Committee would then take up and advance. Lee added that "it remains to be seen how National Assembly deliberations unfold" before determining whether passage can be completed this year. The party's position on raising the retirement age "is clear," Lee said, but acknowledged that "there seems to be a point of deliberation over how to address other issues being raised alongside the bill." The party, government and presidential office are in close consultation, Lee said.

On the second phase of relocating public institutions to regional areas, Lee said the federation has consistently called for labor-government consultations on the matter and that the party expressed sympathy for the need. Lee said the federation raised concerns about a significant gap between the authorized and actual headcount at public institutions, and that the party said it would "actively look into everything from the specific situation to countermeasures."

Lee added that "there were fairly strong objections and critical views" regarding the political rights of teachers and civil servants, and that a party task force has been conducting extensive discussions on the issue. The party would "move with a sense of urgency to reach a conclusion," Lee said.

Individual industry-level federations called for measures including strengthening the retirement pension system, and the party's Labor Respect Practice Group agreed to actively follow up on the agenda items they raised, Lee said.

Earlier at the meeting, Kim said the Democratic Party and the federation "have long maintained a relationship as comrades and partners," pledging to "do our utmost to strengthen solidarity going forward and resolve the issues at hand, filling in where we fall short through continued effort."

Federation Chairman Kim Dong-myung pushed back, saying the federation had backed President Lee Jae Myung in two presidential elections "because we believed in the promise and policy vision of a president who came from a background as a child factory worker — a president who pledged to build a society where labor is respected." Kim then asked, "Is that promise being kept now?"

Kim added that "policy solidarity can only continue when there is effort and action to keep promises and change workers' lives," and warned that while the federation would not repeatedly swing between support and withdrawal depending on circumstances, "we will not simply endure and wait."


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