Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF), held an emergency press conference on Thursday to express concern over the country’s so-called Yellow Envelope Bill, whose passage at the National Assembly is imminent.

“The National Assembly must halt the amendment of the Trade Union Act and ensure sufficient consultation between labor and management through social dialogue,” Sohn, also chairman of CJ Group, said.

The Yellow Envelope Bill proposes amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.

This is the first solo press conference Sohn has held since assuming the KEF chairmanship in 2018, reflecting the urgency and concern the Korean business community feels about the proposed amendments.

Led by the ruling Democratic Party, the Yellow Envelope Bill passed the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee on Monday.

The core of the bill is to strengthen the responsibilities of prime contractors toward subcontracted workers - a point that Sohn also highlighted.

“If the law is revised and dozens or even hundreds of subcontractor unions demand negotiations, the primary employer won’t be able to respond to each case, leading to extreme chaos in the industrial field,” he said.

He also expressed concern that the bill’s expanded definition of labor disputes - which would include matters traditionally reserved for employers’ management rights - could lead to widespread labor-management conflicts at workplaces.

“If business decisions such as investments, relocations, or restructuring become subject to industrial actions, it could seriously infringe on employers‘ management rights,” Sohn said.

“For the sake of maintaining at least a minimal level of labor-management stability and balance, I earnestly urge the Assembly to engage in in-depth discussions and adopt the business community’s alternatives.”

While Sohn voiced the business community’s desperate concerns through his press conference, efforts to block the bill also continued across the broader business sector.

KEF Vice Chairman Lee Dong-geun, and Kim Chang-beom, vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), visited the National Assembly and met with Song Eon-seog, interim leader and floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, and Kim Jung-jae, the party’s policy committee chairman.

They requested that the Yellow Envelope Bill and a proposed amendment to the Commercial Act not be placed on the agenda for the upcoming Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s plenary session on Friday or passed at the plenary session on Monday.

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