SEOUL – On this historic Labor Day, South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung used the prestigious platform of Cheong Wa Dae to issue a resounding call for ironclad workplace protections. In his first-ever Labor Day speech at the Blue House, he vowed zero tolerance for safety lapses that endanger lives.
Declaring workplace safety as the bedrock responsibility of governments and companies alike, Lee painted a vision of a secure nation free from work-related fatalities. “No worker should ever gamble their life for a paycheck,” he proclaimed, rejecting any shortcuts or concessions.
The president dismantled the false dichotomy between employee well-being and economic expansion. Far from being opposites, he argued, they are symbiotic forces. Progress demands shedding the antiquated view that business success requires worker exploitation. “The future of growth lies with workers propelling it forward,” Lee emphasized.
With AI automation sparking widespread job loss anxieties, Lee countered by prioritizing people over machines. He acknowledged the prevalent fear that tech will supplant human roles but firmly opposed sacrificing labor for efficiency. “Productivity shouldn’t come at the cost of human lives,” he stated, positioning workers as the true engines of economic vitality.
This landmark event united approximately 130 attendees, including top labor, management, and government figures, plus workers from diverse sectors. Notably, it featured joint participation from ideologically opposed major unions, signaling potential for collaboration.
Reflecting on tradition, May 1 has long been significant in South Korea—once ‘Labor Day,’ briefly ‘Workers’ Day,’ now reinstated as a national holiday. Lee’s address not only honors this legacy but charts a forward path, ensuring technology serves workers, not supplants them, fostering a resilient, equitable economy.
