"We will go beyond representing the interests of privileged labor and work to build a sustainable system for society."
Kim Dong-myeong, chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), made this pledge in an interview with the Seoul Economic Daily on Tuesday at the FKTU headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. "Organizing 2 million members is a goal that must be achieved, regardless of whether it seems attainable," he said.
Kim launched a dedicated organizing unit last month to reach the 2-million-member target. The FKTU is the country's largest labor umbrella group with 1.2 million members based on the government's 2024 count, or approximately 1.5 million by its own tally. Many view the goal of adding 500,000 members as a tall order, given that Korea's union membership rate has stagnated in the low 10-percent range and unions remain concentrated in large corporations and the public sector. "It is important for vulnerable workers not only to receive state protection but also to build their own strength," Kim said. "We are developing various new organizing strategies across operational departments, not just within the organizing unit."
To reach the 2-million-member target, Kim must more clearly differentiate the FKTU from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). The FKTU has long been compared with the KCTU, the country's second-largest labor group. The FKTU is known for its moderate stance, while the KCTU takes a hardline approach. "We share a common position on preventing workers from being marginalized and guaranteeing labor rights during industrial transitions," Kim said. "We grew notably closer during the Yoon Suk-yeol impeachment process, and we will expand areas of cooperation."
At the FKTU's 80th anniversary ceremony last month, Kim made an unexpected apology for the organization's past. "We earned the label of a so-called 'government-controlled union' by supporting the regime that emerged from the May 16 military coup, the Yushin system, and the movement to preserve the authoritarian constitution," he said. "It is the right attitude for both an organization and its people to acknowledge what was wrong," Kim added. "The FKTU has enough confidence to make that apology. We are not a government-controlled union. We are an organization moving toward the future."
Kim also made clear that the FKTU does not intend to remain merely a policy partner. The FKTU supported President Lee Jae-myung in two presidential campaigns and signed policy agreements with the ruling party.
Last September, Kim met President Lee alongside the KCTU and asked "the president to personally convene economic stakeholders and declare a grand social compromise." The grand compromise is expected to be discussed at the Economic, Social and Labor Council, a presidential social dialogue body involving the FKTU, the business community, and the government. "After labor and management agree on a broad direction, the institutional frameworks to support it will be discussed," Kim said. "Issues demanded by the business community, not just the labor sector, can also be included."