– Discusses ways to develop a Korean model of participatory social dialogue and public deliberation

Kim Ji-hyung, Chairperson of the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC), met with Claire Thoury, newly elected President of France’s Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Conseil économique, social et environnemental, CESE), in Paris on Monday, June 8. The two leaders exchanged views on France’s public deliberation mechanisms, approaches to citizen participation, and processes for building social consensus.

Chairperson Kim’s visit to the CESE came as Korea is moving forward with “Social Dialogue 2.0.” The visit was aimed at learning from the CESE’s experience in operating citizen-participatory deliberative processes and exploring how such practices could contribute to the development of a Korean model of social dialogue and public deliberation.

The CESE plays an important role in facilitating public deliberation on major economic, social, and environmental policy issues through citizen participation. In recent years, it has organized Citizens’ Conventions* to facilitate deliberation and public discussion on a range of complex social issues, including end-of-life issues and climate change, with the outcomes feeding into the policymaking process.

* A participatory decision-making mechanism involving citizens.

“Amid increasingly complex and diverse social conflicts, public deliberation based on citizen participation can be an effective means of strengthening social trust and enhancing public acceptance of policies,” Chairperson Kim said. “France’s experience with citizen deliberation will provide valuable lessons as we work to develop a model of participatory public deliberation suited to Korea’s ‘Social Dialogue 2.0.’”

President Claire Thoury introduced the CESE’s experience in facilitating public deliberation and emphasized the importance of broader citizen participation and deliberative processes in building social consensus. She also expressed her hope that the two institutions would continue to share their experiences in social dialogue and public deliberation through sustained exchanges and cooperation.

During the meeting, the two leaders also discussed a broad range of employment and labor issues facing both countries and possible policy responses, including citizen-participatory deliberation practices, strategies for managing industrial and climate transitions, and ways to expand the participation of young people and future generations.

Following his visit to France, Chairperson Kim will travel with representatives of labor, management, and government to Geneva, Switzerland, to attend the International Labour Conference (ILC). He will then visit Germany for meetings with the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, employer and trade union organizations, and Volkswagen. Through these engagements, the delegation will explore social dialogue-based approaches to effectively addressing the challenges arising from multiple and simultaneous transitions.

Going forward, the ESLC plans to expand exchanges with leading social dialogue institutions around the world and draw on international practices and research to further develop social dialogue and public deliberation models suited to the Korean context.