Train driver's rise to South Korea's cabinet gets mixed reaction
Mr Kim Young-hoon is set to become the country's first blue-collar worker to head the Ministry of Employment and Labour. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
SEOUL - When South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's Cabinet picks were unveiled on June 23 afternoon, Mr Kim Young-hoon was in the driver's seat — literally.
The 57-year-old train driver, who was operating a train between Gimcheon and Busan with his phone turned off, says he did not learn of his historic nomination until an hour after the news broke. Only after completing his shift and stepping off the train in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, did Mr Kim hear from colleagues that he had been tapped as South Korea's next labour minister, he told Yonhap.
The nomination marks a milestone: Mr Kim is set to become the country's first blue-collar worker to head the Ministry of Employment and Labour. His selection by the liberal president has drawn both praise and scepticism, highlighting the growing debate over labour representation at the top levels of policymaking.
Mr Kim also brings a decade of experience in labour activism. He led the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) from 2010 to 2012, during the administration of former President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative businessman-turned-politician.
The KCTU is the largest labour group in Korea, representing some 1.2 million workers. Known for its combative stance, the KCTU has frequently clashed with conservative governments, staging nationwide strikes and sit-in protests over labour rights and policy disputes. In the past, some of its strikes have also involved violence.
Though he has to go through a confirmation hearing, Mr Kim is the first-ever KCTU member nominated for the role of labour minister. Since the Ministry of Employment and Labour was established in 2010, labour ministers have typically chosen from among government officials, administrators, professors and legislators.
The public reaction was a mixed bag, ranging from online congratulations to deep distrust regarding the nominee's KCTU, blue-collar background.
Mr Jang Seong-cheol, a political commentator and a former aide to the conservative People Power Party, questioned whether Mr Kim could manage his administrative duties effectively regardless of his career in a local radio show 'Kim Hyun Jung's News Show' on June 24.
'Managing the administrative affairs in a ministry is a serious responsibility. And there's a real risk of being surrounded and swayed by bureaucrats,' Mr Jang said.
'And if Mr Kim strongly believes the Labour Ministry should be more pro-labour and focused on creating policies favorable to workers, he might appoint those who fully share his vision. But this could lead to serious conflict between the minister's office and the ministry itself,' he added.
Representative Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, criticised Mr Kim's nomination, warning that it signals the start of the KCTU's political agenda seeping into government policy.
The presidential office said that Mr Kim was nominated as a figure who has represented workers.
'We expect him to play a key role in strengthening the rights of working people by working with different issues such as industrial accidents, the 'Yellow Envelope Law' and a 4.5-day workweek system,' said Mr Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of staff to the president, in a briefing on June 23.
On June 23, the KCTU and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, South Korea's other major labour group, lambasted the Labour Ministry for failing to represent the voices of workers, fueling conflict, and turning a blind eye to widespread discrimination in the workplace.
'Lee's government must abandon the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's anti-labour policies and pursue a major shift in state affairs to guarantee labour rights. The union expects the labour minister nominee to fully recognize the pressing tasks of our time and to faithfully fulfill his duties as the Labour Minister in guaranteeing workers' rights,' the KCTU said in an official statement.
The FKTU also urged Mr Kim not to rely on political parties' stances, economic reasoning or bureaucratic minds. The union expressed its hopes for the labour minister nominee to pursue meaningful progress through social dialogue and consensus between workers, management and government. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
China calls them fish farms – South Korea fears they have another use
South Koreans see striking parallels between the Chinese installations and what Beijing has done in the South China Sea. PHOTO: EPA-EFE China calls them fish farms – South Korea fears they have another use SEOUL – In recent years, China has towed a decommissioned offshore oil-drilling rig and two giant octagonal steel cages into the sea between China and South Korea, saying that the structures were being used as deep-sea fish farms in shared waters. But South Koreans fear they are more than that, and could be used to expand China's military influence. South Korea's National Assembly formally took issue with the Chinese structures on June 23 when its ocean and fisheries committee condemned them as 'a threat to maritime safety', in a resolution adopted with bipartisan support. Those fears were bolstered on June 24 by a report from the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 'While available information suggests that the platforms are genuinely focused on aquaculture, concerns that the platforms may be dual-use are not unfounded, given China's track record in the South China Sea,' said the report, which used satellite imagery and other data to track the installations. Dual-use refers to a second potential use for military purposes. 'Even without further expansion, the platforms are likely already collecting data that could have value for undersea navigation and detection,' the report said. South Koreans see striking parallels between the Chinese installations and what Beijing has done in the South China Sea. China initially built artificial islands there for civilian purposes, but they were gradually transformed into military outposts, leading to territorial disputes with countries including the Philippines and Vietnam. The tensions creeping up around the Chinese platforms in the Yellow Sea – called the West Sea by South Koreans – will likely become one of the first challenges faced by the government of President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June. Mr Lee has vowed to improve ties with China while at the same time promising to strengthen his country's alliance with Washington. He hopes to meet China's top leader, Mr Xi Jinping, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, in November. When the two countries held talks in April on oceanic cooperation, South Korean officials expressed their 'deep concern' about the Chinese structures, warning that they would not allow them to undermine Seoul's rights, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said. But China insisted that the structures were nothing but deep-sea salmon farms. Both sides agreed to continue dialogue to resolve the dispute. China's growing assertiveness in the Yellow Sea comes at the same time Beijing has called for bilateral relations with Seoul to reach a 'higher level', after Mr Lee was sworn in as president. That reflects China's carrot-and-stick approach with its neighbours. On the one hand, it hopes to warm ties by offering South Korea economic inducements. On the other, China considers its dominance of regional waters a vital strategic interest, one that it feels it can pursue because of its military strength. In recent years, South Korea has become increasingly concerned about China's military activities near the Korean peninsula, including a growing number of Chinese warplanes flying near its airspace. In May, China's newest and most-advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, conducted fighter jet drills in the Yellow Sea. China declared no-sail zones there while the drills were under way. National Assembly Research Service analyst Chung Min-jeong said: 'If China uses its structures in the West Sea for military purposes like monitoring, surveillance and disrupting sea routes, and does so repeatedly and in an escalating scale, they will eventually threaten our jurisdiction in the West Sea. 'South Korea, the United States and Japan will need to cooperate if China uses the West Sea structures to help blockade Taiwan.' China installed its aquaculture structures inside the so-called Provisional Measures Zone, which was created by South Korea and China through a bilateral agreement in 2001 to manage their overlapping exclusive economic zone claims in the Yellow Sea. The agreement allows fishing activities from both sides but does not mention aquaculture, 'leaving an ambiguity that will make it difficult for Seoul to convince Beijing to remove the platforms', according to the CSIS report. The first floating fish-farm cage – the Shen Lan 1, which is 61m in diameter – was installed in 2018, and the larger Shen Lan 2 was added in 2024. The former oil-drilling rig was moved there in 2022, repurposed into a central operations hub. Tensions flared in February when a South Korean ocean survey vessel attempted an on-site investigation, only to be forcibly blocked by Chinese coast guard ships and civilian vessels. South Korea also deployed patrol ships in the two-hour stand-off. In a report in June , South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper cited satellite imagery that it said showed China remodelling several retired oil rigs for use as offshore support facilities for fish farms. In their resolution adopted on June 23 , South Korean lawmakers proposed that if China does not remove its facilities, South Korea should take 'proportional' countermeasures, such as installing its own aquaculture facilities in the area and building a survey ship to increase monitoring of Chinese activities in the sea. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Train driver's rise to South Korea's cabinet gets mixed reaction
Mr Kim Young-hoon is set to become the country's first blue-collar worker to head the Ministry of Employment and Labour. PHOTO: EPA-EFE SEOUL - When South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's Cabinet picks were unveiled on June 23 afternoon, Mr Kim Young-hoon was in the driver's seat — literally. The 57-year-old train driver, who was operating a train between Gimcheon and Busan with his phone turned off, says he did not learn of his historic nomination until an hour after the news broke. Only after completing his shift and stepping off the train in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, did Mr Kim hear from colleagues that he had been tapped as South Korea's next labour minister, he told Yonhap. The nomination marks a milestone: Mr Kim is set to become the country's first blue-collar worker to head the Ministry of Employment and Labour. His selection by the liberal president has drawn both praise and scepticism, highlighting the growing debate over labour representation at the top levels of policymaking. Mr Kim also brings a decade of experience in labour activism. He led the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) from 2010 to 2012, during the administration of former President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative businessman-turned-politician. The KCTU is the largest labour group in Korea, representing some 1.2 million workers. Known for its combative stance, the KCTU has frequently clashed with conservative governments, staging nationwide strikes and sit-in protests over labour rights and policy disputes. In the past, some of its strikes have also involved violence. Though he has to go through a confirmation hearing, Mr Kim is the first-ever KCTU member nominated for the role of labour minister. Since the Ministry of Employment and Labour was established in 2010, labour ministers have typically chosen from among government officials, administrators, professors and legislators. The public reaction was a mixed bag, ranging from online congratulations to deep distrust regarding the nominee's KCTU, blue-collar background. Mr Jang Seong-cheol, a political commentator and a former aide to the conservative People Power Party, questioned whether Mr Kim could manage his administrative duties effectively regardless of his career in a local radio show 'Kim Hyun Jung's News Show' on June 24. 'Managing the administrative affairs in a ministry is a serious responsibility. And there's a real risk of being surrounded and swayed by bureaucrats,' Mr Jang said. 'And if Mr Kim strongly believes the Labour Ministry should be more pro-labour and focused on creating policies favorable to workers, he might appoint those who fully share his vision. But this could lead to serious conflict between the minister's office and the ministry itself,' he added. Representative Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, criticised Mr Kim's nomination, warning that it signals the start of the KCTU's political agenda seeping into government policy. The presidential office said that Mr Kim was nominated as a figure who has represented workers. 'We expect him to play a key role in strengthening the rights of working people by working with different issues such as industrial accidents, the 'Yellow Envelope Law' and a 4.5-day workweek system,' said Mr Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of staff to the president, in a briefing on June 23. On June 23, the KCTU and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, South Korea's other major labour group, lambasted the Labour Ministry for failing to represent the voices of workers, fueling conflict, and turning a blind eye to widespread discrimination in the workplace. 'Lee's government must abandon the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's anti-labour policies and pursue a major shift in state affairs to guarantee labour rights. The union expects the labour minister nominee to fully recognize the pressing tasks of our time and to faithfully fulfill his duties as the Labour Minister in guaranteeing workers' rights,' the KCTU said in an official statement. The FKTU also urged Mr Kim not to rely on political parties' stances, economic reasoning or bureaucratic minds. The union expressed its hopes for the labour minister nominee to pursue meaningful progress through social dialogue and consensus between workers, management and government. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Korean students seek ‘digital undertakers' amid US visa social media screening
The US Embassy in Seoul told all visa applicants to set their social media profiles' privacy settings to 'public'. PHOTO: UNSPLASH The US Embassy in Seoul resumed accepting applications for student and exchange visas but requested that applicants make any private social media accounts public, prompting some South Korean students pursuing studies in the US to seek the help of 'digital undertakers'. On June 20, the US Embassy in Seoul announced that it will resume taking in applications for its F, M and J non-immigrant visas, saying it will conduct 'thorough vetting' of applicants' presence on social media. In a notice posted on X, the embassy announced that all applicants should 'adjust the privacy setting on all their social media profiles to 'public''. Seeing the US Embassy's recent announcement, 28-year-old Kim, who wished to be identified only by her last name, told The Korea Herald that she felt 'stressed'. It felt like the recent announcement was just another 'daunting task' she was required to complete as part of her preparation in pursuing a PhD at a US university. 'I've been preparing to further my studies by applying to a graduate school in the US for about a year and a half — writing up personal statements, taking language proficiency exams and speaking with professors at schools I was interested in,' said Kim. 'I felt like I was ready this year and was going to apply. But knowing that my social media accounts and the stuff I posted in the past could be an obstacle to me studying in the States and not something like my school grades, is really stressful to me.' While the US has mandated that visa applicants list their social media accounts on their applications since 2019, Kim stated that the screenings conducted under the current administration feel 'different' to her. 'I don't know how strictly they handled the screening of social media accounts in the past, but seeing the current administration's stance against illegal immigration and national security, this year feels different, more intense,' Kim continued. 'I've looked into online reputation firms in Korea to help me permanently delete data that could work against me, as I've voiced opinions on political and social issues on social media in the past that oppose the current US administration's stance.' Often called digital undertakers, these services are offered by online reputation firms and specialise in curating or scrubbing an individual's online presence by removing posts, photos or comments that may be considered controversial in the eyes of others — such as employers, or more recently, immigration authorities. Kim isn't the only Korean student seeking such services in Korea. According to a representative from Santa Cruise Company, an online reputation firm offering digital undertaker services, the firm has begun receiving more requests from clients claiming they were planning to apply to schools in the US in recent months. 'While personal requests we received from individual clients were mostly springing from those wanting to delete personal data before applying to a company, these days, we've seen a growing number of individual clients seeking assistance before they apply for a visa to study in the US,' said the representative. With the cost of the company's services ranging from 100,000 won (S$93) to millions of won depending on the number of posts the client asks to delete, the company representative added that some of the posts the firm deleted 'ranged from politically sensitive content to some that were rather personal, including posts confessing personal struggles or photos of them partying, to avoid damaging their image'. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
