Chairman Kim Ji-hyung of the Economic, Social and Labor Council visited the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (President Kim Dong-myeong; hereinafter, “FKTU”) on the morning of November 7th for his first official schedule after taking office, and held an introductory meeting and a meeting with the leadership.

This visit was arranged as the first step by the ESLC — following the launch of the new government — toward restoring social dialogue and re-establishing a mutually beneficial tripartite labor-management-government relation ship, and was intended to build trust with the FKTU, a central pillar of tripartite cooperation.

Chairman Kim stated, “The ESLC is an institutional space for collaborative governance where labor, management, and government discuss national agendas together and achieve social consensus,” and emphasized, “The FKTU’s tradition of labor movements that values social responsibility and appreciates dialogue has served as the foundation of Korea’s social dialogue.” He further stated, “As a key partner in state affairs and the senior representative of the labor community, the ESLC will listen closely to the voice of the FKTU and continue sincere dialogue to address the many challenges facing our economy and society,” and added, “Above all, we will make every effort to restore the foundation of trust together among labor, management, and government."

Meanwhile, in order to restore and revitalize social dialogue, the ESLC plans to continue to fulfill its responsibilities and role as a social dialogue body that the public can trust through sustained communication with labor, management, and government.