28 of 30 local governments found violating labor law; ministry to expand HR training

The Ministry of Employment and Labor will significantly expand tailored labor law training for human resources and labor affairs officials at local governments and other public-sector bodies to curb repeated violations.

The move follows a targeted inspection of local governments that found 28 of 30 basic local government units had violated labor relations laws.

The ministry announced Sunday that it will overhaul and expand its training program starting this month, in partnership with the Korea Employment and Labor Education Institute, targeting HR and labor affairs staff at local governments and other public institutions.

The institute has long offered labor law training for HR officials managing fixed-term and public-service workers at central government agencies and local governments, but participation rates among local governments had remained low.

A recent targeted inspection by the ministry — examining compliance with labor conditions for non-regular workers at local governments — uncovered 113 violations across 28 of the 30 basic local government units surveyed. The ministry said most violations stemmed from inadequate familiarity with the latest labor laws and court rulings.

In response, the ministry has completely revamped the curriculum to focus on violations that recur in the field, including errors in wage and severance calculations and discriminatory allowance practices identified during inspections. The training covers employment contract formation and termination, management of working hours, rest periods, holidays and leave, wage and severance administration, and case studies and practical exercises organized by employment type — including fixed-term and open-ended contract workers.

The scale of training will also grow substantially. Sessions will increase from 17 to 23, with the number of participants rising from 510 to 690. Training will run through late November, divided into basic and advanced courses delivered through both in-person and video formats.

Lee Hyeon-ok, director general for labor policy at the ministry, said she felt "regret and a sense of responsibility that the public sector, which should serve as a model, has fallen short." She added that the ministry would work to improve awareness and expand education "so that the public sector can lead the way in spreading a culture that respects labor and upholds the law as a model employer."

Lee Jong-seon, president of the Korea Employment and Labor Education Institute, said systematic labor education for HR and labor affairs officials is essential to protecting the labor rights of non-regular workers in the public sector. "We will continue to expand training to strengthen local governments' capacity to comply with labor relations laws and foster a healthy labor culture," he said.