From tracks to Cabinet: Locomotive engineer's rise to S. Korea's labor policy chief draws mixed responses
When President Lee Jae Myung's Cabinet picks were unveiled Monday afternoon, Kim Young-hoon was in the driver's seat — literally.
The 57-year-old locomotive engineer, who was operating a local train between Gimcheon and Busan with his phone turned off, didn't 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 Kim hear from colleagues that he had been tapped as South Korea's next labor minister.
The nomination marks a milestone: Kim is set to become the country's first blue-collar worker to head the Ministry of Employment and Labor. His selection by the liberal president has drawn both praise and skepticism, highlighting the growing debate over labor representation at the top levels of policymaking.
Kim also brings a decadelong track record in labor activism. He led the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions from 2010 to 2012, during the administration of former President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative businessman-turned-politician.
The KCTU is the largest labor umbrella group, 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 labor rights and policy disputes. In the past, some of its strikes have also involved violence.
Though he has to go through a confirmation hearing, Kim is the first-ever KCTU member nominated for the role of labor minister. Since the Ministry of Employment and Labor was established in 2010, labor ministers have typically been named among government officials, administrators, professors and legislators.
A mixed bag of emotions was shared among the public, ranging from online congratulations to deep distrust regarding the nominee's KCTU and blue-collar backgrounds.
Jang Seong-cheol, a political commentator and a former aide to the conservative People Power Party, questioned whether Kim can manage his administrative duties effectively regardless of his career in a local radio show 'Kim Hyun Jung's News Show' on Tuesday.
'Managing the administrative affairs in a ministry is a serious responsibility. And there's a real risk of being surrounded and swayed by bureaucrats,' Jang said.
'And if Kim strongly believes the Labor Ministry should be more pro-labor 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.
Rep. Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, criticized Kim's nomination, warning that it signals the start of the KCTU's political agenda seeping into government policy.
The presidential office said that 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 Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of staff to the president, in Monday's briefing.
On Monday, the KCTU and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, South Korea's other major labor group, lambasted the Labor 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-labor policies and pursue a major shift in state affairs to guarantee labor rights. The union expects the labor minister nominee to fully recognize the pressing tasks of our time and to faithfully fulfill his duties as the Labor Minister in guaranteeing workers' rights,' the KCTU said in an official statement.
The FKTU also urged Kim not to rely on political parties' stance, economic reasoning or bureaucratic minds. The union expressed its hopes for the labor minister nominee to pursue meaningful progress through social dialogue and consensus between workers, management and government.
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