hankyoreh

Guy Ryder

After meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sept. 4, Guy Ryder, Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that Moon had expressed his willingness to ratify four core labor conventions that prior South Korean governments have refused to agree to. Ryder also called on the South Korean government to legally recognize a teachers’ union and a government workers’ union – namely, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) and the Korean Government Employees' Union (KGEU).

Ryder made these remarks during an exclusive interview with the Hankyoreh in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, following his meeting with Moon. “President Moon clearly stated his commitment to ratify four core conventions not yet ratified by South Korea, and he said he would take an interest in the legislation necessary for their ratification,” Ryder said.

“Very encouraged by President Moon's commitment to ratify core @ILO Conventions. We're ready to provide any technical support necessary,” Ryder wrote on his personal Twitter account.

An official at the Blue House responded to these comments by saying that “no promises were made about ratifying the ILO’s core conventions.” “Mr. Ryder said he believes that President Moon respects international labor standards given his background as a human rights lawyer even if he does not state that explicitly, and President Moon responded that he would address this through social dialogue because there are a variety of differing opinions.”

“You couldn’t say that President Moon specifically promised to ratify the conventions,” the official added.

Ryder also addressed the issue of the KTU and the KGEU, which are not currently recognized as legal unions. “It’s clear what the government needs to do about the issues of the teachers’ union and the government workers’ union. Those unions need to be legalized according to the ILO’s principles and they need to be allowed to operate without government interference,” he said. Ryder also said that completely guaranteeing the basic labor rights was essential for wage-led growth and for a “fair economy” and emphasized several times that “social dialogue” was a desirable approach to resolving the issue of basic labor rights.

By Park Tae-woo, Jung Yu-gyung, staff reporters

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