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Labor minister vows to designate 'Labor Day' as national holiday

Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 16:07

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Sept. 15. [YONHAP]

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon has pledged to designate Workers' Day an official public holiday and revert its name back to "Labor Day" so that the work of all people can be valued.

Kim made the pledges in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Monday, noting that his ministry aims for the changes to take effect May 1 next year.

"We plan to push for both the 'Labor Day' name change and the national holiday designation next year to deliver a 'Labor Day gift set' to the people," Kim said.

Korea observes Workers' Day on May 1 each year, like many countries around the world, with its origins tracing back to 1886 when workers in Chicago protested to demand an eight-hour workday.

The country had previously marked May 1 as "Labor Day" before it was officially called "Workers' Day" under 1963 legislation.

While Workers' Day was designated as a paid holiday in 1994, it only applies to workers covered by the Labor Standards Act, which excludes public servants, teachers and other workers in special types of employment.

"Labor Day is not a day that commemorates a certain group of people like 'Armed Forces Day' or 'Day of Persons with Disabilities' but remembers the value of labor," Kim said. "We seek to restore it as a day that commemorates all working people and the value of their sweat."

The Labor Ministry is currently supporting efforts to pass a revised bill that would designate May 1 a national holiday. The bill also calls for the same designation for Parents' Day on May 8.

Meanwhile, Kim highlighted the importance of both the roles of labor and management in light of his ministry's recently announced measures to curb industrial accidents.

"Labor and management should both become the main players to prevent [violations] of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act," Kim said, noting that workers also face punishment if they are guilty of violations.

Companies that suffer from at least three industrial accident deaths a year could be fined up to 5 percent of their operating profit under the measures announced Monday.

Yonhap