KCTU rallies 10,000 across country, vows to fight labor rollbacks in second half of year

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) declared its second-half campaign at rallies drawing 10,000 members nationwide, demanding the government scrap its proposed "mega special zone" legislation and labor dispute guidelines while pushing for expanded direct bargaining with primary employers.

The KCTU held its "Second-Half Struggle Declaration Rally" on Saturday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office and at simultaneous events across the country. Organizers estimated 3,000 people attended in Seoul and 10,000 nationwide.

The union said the government is pursuing policies that restrict workers' rights even as it expands support for industry. It particularly criticized recently announced guidelines on the scope of labor disputes, arguing the rules could limit workers' ability to bargain or take industrial action over issues affecting working conditions — including performance bonuses and corporate restructuring — and called for the guidelines to be scrapped.

The KCTU also said direct bargaining with primary employers has failed to materialize in practice even after the revised Trade Union Act took effect. The union urged the government to abolish enforcement decrees and interpretive guidelines that block such bargaining, and called for amendments to the Labor Standards Act to recognize the employee status of special-contract, platform and freelance workers.

KCTU Chairman Yang Gyeong-su said the union had resolved to make this year "the first year of direct employer bargaining," but added that with a third of the year already gone, it needed to regroup. "Government policy is moving in a direction that guarantees more profits for companies while shrinking the rights of workers," he said.

Yang also criticized the government's mega special zone initiative, saying it "must not become yet another benefit for corporations." On AI transition, he said "growth without labor is a lie, and production without labor is a lie," and called for an AI transition that guarantees workers' employment and rights.

Workers from the floor also took the stage. Representatives of the Plant Construction Workers' Union under the Construction Industry Federation said bargaining has been delayed by lawsuits and appeals filed by primary employers even after the revised union law took effect. The Riders Union under the Public Transport Workers' Union urged the government to recognize the employee status of online special-contract workers and called on the Ministry of Employment and Labor to conduct a fact-finding investigation.

Saturday's rallies were held simultaneously in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province, North Gyeongsang Province, Gangwon Province and Jeju. After the Seoul rally, participants marched along Cheonggyenam-ro and through the Gwanghwamun intersection and the Gyeongbokgung Station intersection toward Cheong Wa Dae.