A super-aged society is about to...What is the direction of labor policy?

■ Host: Anchor Lee Se-na and anchor Na Kyung-chul
■ Appearance: Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN New Square 2PM] when quoting.

[Anchor]
As the Yoon Suk Yeol government has passed the halfway point of its term, we have prepared time to find out the key achievements of employment and labor policies and their future plans. Starting next year, Korea will enter a super-aged society where the elderly aged 65 or older account for more than 20% of the total, and it is time to solve the issue of extending the retirement age. We will talk with the Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo about the future direction of our labor policy. Please come in. First, let me ask you a question about the direction of labor policy. This year, the number of economically inactive people, including young people, who rest without doing anything recorded the highest number ever. Do you have any plans in mind for creating jobs for young people?

[Kim Moon-soo]
There are 440,000 young people in their 20s who don't do anything, and much more in their 30s. So, because this is the hope of the future and when we young people have to work the hardest, our Ministry of Employment and Labor is making all-out efforts to hire young people. 1.5 million people who applied for a national scholarship at the university, and then there's Employment 24 by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

By cross-checking this, those who haven't found a job even after graduating from college, those who take a long break, etc., we consult one person as much as possible and guide them to good jobs by consulting with them on why they are not getting a job. If it doesn't work, we are trying to manage it with a sweatshirt intensively so that even one more person can get a job.

[Anchor]
In fact, Korea is really facing a super-aged society. The issue of extending the retirement age seems to be a problem that must be solved, but I understand that the Ministry of Employment and Labor should reorganize the wage system before extending the retirement age.

[Kim Moon-soo]
That's right. Our country is now a salary system. As the salary goes up as the year goes up, the wage continues to rise, so under the current salary system, the wage increases as the retirement age goes up. However, productivity is actually a little low, so we tend to re-use it after retirement. Without just extending the retirement age and overhauling the wage system, businesses can't stand it, but they forget about jobs, especially for young people. So it will be a more desperate reality for young people.

So what we're thinking is that even though we extend the retirement age, we re-employment after retirement. Or if the retirement age is abolished altogether. For example, there are no people at all in small and medium-sized businesses, so no one comes even if there is no retirement age. There are cases like this, and there are a wide variety of companies, so you have to do this so that companies can choose. I think it is quite difficult for the field to raise the retirement age unconditionally by law.

[Anchor]
I think it's in line, but the labor world says it's an extension of the retirement age, and the government and management continue to use the word employment. Why do you think this part is so different?

[Kim Moon-soo]
Continued employment includes an extension of the retirement age, but there are cases where the retirement age is abolished, such as small and medium-sized enterprises, or reemployment after retirement. For example, commissioning. It's used in places like Hyundai Motor Company. All three of these are called continuous employment.

[Anchor]
Then, the labor world insists that the retirement age be extended uniformly to the age of 65, so is there a way to persuade the labor world?

[Kim Moon-soo]
The Economic, Social and Labor Commission is now discussing the extension of the retirement age between labor and management. Let's revise the law uniformly all at once and raise it to 65 unconditionally, and this doesn't work either. Also, not all companies are the same unconditionally. Therefore, there are many 3D industries that can't find people even if they don't have a retirement age, depending on the nature of the company. Even in the manufacturing industry. So, I think various discussions should be made gradually.

[Anchor]
I will also ask you about the aging trend of low birth rate. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor are pushing for a plan to hire foreigners as village bus drivers following the introduction of Filipino housekeepers. Do you think it's an effective measure in this regard?

[Kim Moon-soo]
I'm reviewing it.Ma has also been reviewed by our department. However, there is a road traffic law to be called a village bus driver. In addition, we are reviewing it very carefully because we have to serve passengers, there is a risk of traffic accidents, and passengers have to understand the language.

[Anchor]
In order to solve the low birth rate problem, I think the direction of labor policy should also go in a way that parents can do with confidence in their work, and I think it is necessary to support childcare, so please introduce the policies you have prepared so far.

[Kim Moon-soo]
The most important thing is to increase maternity leave and parental leave after giving birth to a baby. If the couple takes parental leave together, we will increase the number of parental leave to give them a year and a half, and a year and a half, and a year and a half, and three years, respectively. This will take effect next year. And then you don't have money, do you? The maximum amount of paternity leave benefits is 4.5 million won for fathers and 4.5 million won for mothers. Then, we will pay up to 9 million won in total for couples, and we will extend the vacation period and increase the vacation pay by that much, and we are making efforts to reduce working hours and introduce various types of work for Irma who gave birth, such as working from home.

[Anchor]
You're thinking of various policies.

[Kim Moon-soo]
I'm doing it now. It will take effect next year.

[Anchor]
I'll definitely look forward to it working. In the current government, he has served as the chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Commission and as the Minister of Employment and Labor. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor's announcement over the past two and a half years, he has established the foundation for the establishment of labor-management laws and the protection of the weak. Can you point out your past achievements again?

[Kim Moon-soo]
The establishment of the rule of law was often not followed in the workplace after democratization in 1987. However, since Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration, the rule of law has been properly observed, and the number of labor loss days and strike losses has fallen by less than half. Then, as the rule of law is established, many problems are changing to be solved through various conversations. So there was a great achievement in this regard. But warm welfare. Warm welfare is not even applicable to the Labor Standards Act for workers in workplaces with fewer than five employees. Next, platform freelancers, and these people just don't get labor protection at all, but for those who do, the Act on the Protection of Underprivileged Support has also been proposed to the National Assembly.

[Anchor]
One of the national tasks of the Yoon Suk Yeol government was labor reform, and the focus was on expanding labor market flexibility. However, it has been pointed out that labor market flexibility can help companies and the economy as a whole, but from the perspective of workers, it can bring about inequality and infringement of rights. What do you think of this point?

[Kim Moon-soo]
It's a very difficult problem between labor and management, but flexibility is one thing that turns wages into job performance pay rather than increasing every year. The time is 52 hours now, and if you add this up between labor and management, for example, you can do more in a lab or something like this seasonally, 52 hours a week, isn't this a little rigid? There are talks about changing this into a monthly unit or a seasonal unit. Now, they are refusing to work long hours because they are worried that they will be able to work long hours, but they are trying to improve it by talking in this way so that they can have flexible working hours while guaranteeing the right to rest.

[Anchor]
Communication with the labor community will also be very important to determine the direction of labor policy in the future. Please tell us how you plan to overcome the differences between labor and the ruling and opposition parties while in office.

[Kim Moon-soo]
Since that doesn't happen all at once, representatives of labor and management come out of the Economic, Social and Labor Commission to talk together, and in this case, we study and investigate what the benefits and losses are between each other and approach each other step by step. It's a little frustrating, but I don't think there's any other way but to talk.

[Anchor]
You emphasized the conversation. We will support and look forward to future policies that will lead to good results. So far, we have learned about the achievements and directions of Korea's labor policy with Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo. Thank you for today.

[Kim Moon-soo]
Thank you.