Korea labor ministry: abusive complaints fall, suits against inspectors rise
In short
South Korea's labor ministry received 26.188 million complaints last year, a second consecutive annual increase, while abusive complaints such as verbal abuse and threats fell to 624, according to data released by the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Hak-young. Over the same period, complaints and lawsuits filed against labor inspectors rose: 248 cases between August 2023 and May this year, including 62 in the first five months of this year. Lee called for a system under which the ministry shares responsibility for inspectors' decisions.
Why it matters
The data point to a shift in how pressure on the labor ministry's front-line staff is applied, away from verbal abuse and toward legal complaints against the inspectors who rule on wage arrears and other labor disputes. Lee's call for the ministry to share responsibility for inspectors' judgments indicates the issue could be taken up in parliamentary scrutiny of the ministry. The documents do not say whether any of the complaints against inspectors were substantiated.
Key facts
- The labor ministry received 26.188 million complaints last year, a second consecutive annual increase, and 14.507 million in the first six months of this year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Annual abusive complaints rose from 2,436 in 2022 to 3,116 in 2023, then fell to 1,156 in 2024 and 624 last year, with 244 through June this year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Last year's abusive complaints included 403 cases of verbal abuse, 77 threats and 10 cases of sexual harassment. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Labor inspectors faced 248 legal complaints from August 2023 through May this year: 54 in August–December 2023, 58 in 2024, 74 last year and 62 in the first five months of this year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The ministry provided legal advice or attorney representation in 37 of the 248 cases and no legal support in the remaining 209. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Of 25 staff assault cases since 2023, four led to an institutional complaint, 12 to a police report and nine were closed without action because the employee did not seek punishment. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The ministry attributes the fall in abusive complaints to a staff protection team for exceptional complaints launched in August 2023. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Rep. Lee Hak-young called for the ministry to build a system that shares responsibility for inspectors' decisions so they can judge without fear of being sued. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The labor ministry received 26.188 million complaints last year, up for a second consecutive year, after 24.53 million in 2023 and 24.748 million in 2024. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Annual abusive complaints peaked at 3,116 in 2023 and fell to 624 last year, with 244 recorded through June this year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- From August 2023 to May this year, labor inspectors faced 248 legal complaints, and the yearly totals have risen each year, with 62 filed in the first five months of this year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The ministry provided legal support in 37 of the 248 cases and none in the other 209. [ 1 , 2 ]
- In September last year, a complainant in his 50s went to the labor minister's office at the Sejong Government Complex and attempted to set it on fire before being arrested. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Why complaints filed by members of the public against labor inspectors have increased Both documents report the increase but neither gives a cause.
- Whether the 248 complaints against inspectors were substantiated and how they were resolved The documents give only the number of cases filed and the level of legal support provided, not outcomes.
- What happened in the nine assault cases closed without action The documents say only that the employees did not seek punishment.