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Gov't lays out pro-labor bill for foreign business lobbies

Published: 26 Feb. 2026, 13:34

The National Assembly passes the "Yellow Envelope" pro-labor bill in a plenary session in western Seoul on Aug. 24, 2025. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The government held a meeting with representatives of foreign business lobbies Thursday to communicate on the planned implementation of the revised labor law that is expected to broaden the bargaining rights of workers in Korea, officials said.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon met with the heads of business lobbies of seven major economies, including the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea, the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea and the Seoul Japan Club, to discuss the matter, according to the industry and labor ministries.

The meeting took place in the central administrative city of Sejong.

It came ahead of the scheduled implementation on March 10 of the "yellow envelope bill," which is designed to guarantee the bargaining rights of indirectly employed, subcontracted workers and prohibit companies from filing lawsuits for damages or provisional seizures against unionized workers.

The industry minister told the business lobbies that the government will establish a hotline with foreign companies investing in Korea to help them address issues related to the management-labor relationship, according to his office.

The labor minister said the yellow envelope bill is aimed at facilitating communications between management and labor while strengthening the sustainability of Korea's industrial ecosystem, adding Seoul will push for balanced policies that will promote both business activities and workers' rights.

Yonhap