President Lee Jae-myung Launches ESLC, Emphasizing 'Dialogue to Build Trust Over Resolutions'

President Lee Jae-myung attended the inauguration ceremony of the first term of the Economic, Social, and Labor Council (ESLC) on the 19th, calling for dialogue to restore trust to take precedence over forced resolutions. The President, referencing the labor sector's aversion to past forced voting methods, urged that dialogue be prioritized over resolutions in the current ESLC.

This marked the resumption of social dialogue, which had been suspended due to an emergency martial law situation on December 3, 2024, after approximately 15 months. At the first plenary meeting of the Economic, Social, and Labor Council (ESLC) held at the Blue House on March 19, 2026, President Lee Jae-myung conveyed this message. He emphasized, "Let's not be too fixated on initial outcomes. Simply restoring trust would be a great success," stating that sustained dialogue and free expression of opinions alone would constitute a valuable achievement.

The plenary meeting was attended by four labor representatives, including Kim Dong-myung, president of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and five business representatives, including Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, and Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The ESLC agreed to operate a total of seven special, agenda-specific, and industry-specific committees, including a special committee on demographic changes and job consensus-building, which will be directly led by Chairman Kim Ji-hyung.

President Lee Jae-myung stressed the strengthening of social safety nets through corporate cost burdens for the employment flexibility that businesses desire.