The South Korean government has decided to fully guarantee civil servants' right to rest on Labor Day, which has been designated as an official public holiday for the first time this year. The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) plans to minimize the number of staff mobilized for Labor Day commemorative events.
MOEL said Tuesday that the Cabinet approved the promulgation of a partial amendment to the Public Holidays Act designating Labor Day as a public holiday. Once the Ministry of Personnel Management completes revisions to related regulations, all citizens including civil servants and teachers will have the day off on Labor Day starting this year.
Labor Day was originally established as "Workers' Day" under the 1963 Act on the Establishment of Workers' Day. In January last year, the National Assembly amended the law to restore the name to Labor Day.
In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, the labor ministry also decided to minimize the number of civil servants mobilized for the day's commemorative events. On Labor Day, MOEL and the Jeon Tae-il Foundation will host a ceremony inviting workers and award recipients, as well as a public 5.1-kilometer walking event in downtown Seoul. "Only a minimal number of ministry staff at the division level will participate," a MOEL official said. "There will be no unnecessary mobilization of personnel for the event," the official added, emphasizing the ministry's commitment to honoring the holiday's purpose of rest for workers.
Choi Dong-seok, head of the Ministry of Personnel Management, said, "Through the public holiday designation, the entire nation can now celebrate the value of labor together. Labor Day will give civil servants an opportunity to recharge and help create a vibrant public service."
Kim Young-hoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, said, "The public holiday designation following the restoration of the Labor Day name represents a renewed social recognition of the value and dignity of labor. We will do our best to create workplaces where working people are respected and happy."