Ministry of Employment and Labor accepting submissions through Nov. 20; winner to be announced Dec. 1

National Assembly forum proposes mandatory retirement savings scheme, with costs split equally between companies and workers

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon speaks at the inaugural meeting of the preparatory working group for the K-Labor Welfare Chamber at BizHub Seoul Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 21. [Ministry of Employment and Labor]
Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon speaks at the inaugural meeting of the preparatory working group for the K-Labor Welfare Chamber at BizHub Seoul Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 21. [Ministry of Employment and Labor]

The government is soliciting name suggestions for a new welfare body — tentatively called the "K-Labor Welfare Chamber" — designed to support the livelihoods and well-being of platform workers and freelancers.

At a recent National Assembly forum, researchers proposed that the chamber take charge of a retirement savings scheme and unemployment assistance, with mandatory enrollment starting in occupations where workers rely heavily on a single company for work.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Monday it is accepting name submissions for the K-Labor Welfare Chamber from Monday through Nov. 20. Any member of the public with an interest in promoting the welfare and rights of working people may participate. Applicants can submit a proposed name — along with the reasoning behind it — through a Naver form. The ministry plans to announce the winning entry at a town hall meeting scheduled for Dec. 1.

The K-Labor Welfare Chamber is a support framework the government is designing to fill gaps in the existing labor welfare system, which is built primarily around traditional employees. The ministry has cited legal and tax consulting, career certification and job training as examples of services the chamber could offer, alongside welfare and mutual-aid programs. The specific scope of services is still being finalized.

At a policy forum on institutionalizing labor mutual-aid schemes for platform and freelance workers, held Thursday at the National Assembly Library, researchers led by Jeong Heung-jun, a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, proposed making enrollment in a retirement savings scheme mandatory. The proposal would start with occupations in which special-employment and platform workers depend heavily on a single company for their income, such as delivery drivers and home-tutoring instructors.

Under the proposal, companies and workers would each cover half of the mutual-aid contributions. Workers not subject to mandatory enrollment would be allowed to join voluntarily without requiring company consent.

The researchers also proposed that the chamber administer common benefits such as the retirement savings scheme and unemployment assistance, while private mutual-aid associations handle industry-specific welfare and dispute resolution. A survey of 1,400 platform workers and freelancers conducted by the research team found that 85.9 percent of respondents said a labor mutual-aid association was necessary. Unemployment assistance (69.6 percent) and a retirement savings scheme (61.2 percent) were cited most often as the top priorities for early introduction.

The ministry has been operating a preparatory working group for the chamber's launch since August. It plans to gather input from stakeholders — including labor and management groups across various occupations — from this month through next month, before drawing up a detailed implementation roadmap.


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