Labor Ministry to limit complaint calls, interviews to 20 minutes in crackdown on abusive petitioners

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is stepping up its response to so-called "unusual complaints" — cases involving verbal abuse, physical assault or prolonged calls that disrupt frontline staff. Phone calls and in-person interviews with petitioners will be capped at 20 minutes per session, and staff may end them after giving advance notice if they continue without justification.

The ministry on Monday honored 14 outstanding employees and four agencies for their work at complaint-handling sites and announced a set of institutional reforms to better protect frontline staff.

The ministry handles more than 25 million complaints a year. Among those recognized were five "inspiring employees" nominated directly by the public, as well as top-rated staff selected by their colleagues and agencies that excelled in complaint management.

Min Byeong-jo, a labor inspector at Labor Standards Investigation Division 3 of the Seoul Southern Regional Office of Employment and Labor, was recognized for listening to a worker who had suffered prolonged workplace harassment, walking the person through a complex relief process in detail and conducting the subsequent investigation strictly by the book.

Baek Gye-ju, an administrative officer at the Hanam Employment Center under the Seongnam Regional Office of Employment and Labor, was honored for personally coordinating with employment centers outside her jurisdiction and arranging additional vocational training for a job seeker struggling to re-enter the workforce due to a long-standing occupational illness.

To more actively mediate and resolve recurring complaints, the ministry plans to establish a "Complaint Communication and Mediation Committee" at each regional office, led primarily by outside experts.

The ministry is also putting in place safeguards to protect employees from verbal and physical abuse by petitioners. Starting in September, it will become the first central government ministry to enforce a directive on employee protection and support.

The directive sets a recommended limit of 20 minutes per phone call or in-person interview with a petitioner. If a call or meeting continues without valid reason, staff must notify the petitioner five minutes before that limit expires and may then end it.

Access barriers will be installed to prevent petitioners from entering offices unrelated to their visit, and fixed closed-circuit television cameras will also be required.

Deputy Minister Kwon Chang-jun said protecting employees would translate into better public administration, strengthening labor rights protections in the field and building greater public trust.