SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest public officials’ union said Thursday it will launch a nationwide campaign and hold a large-scale rally in July demanding improvements to the civil servant pension system, higher wages, and broader political rights for government employees.
The Korean Government Employees’ Union, known as KGEU, held a resolution rally near the presidential Blue House in central Seoul, where union leaders accused the government of overworking civil servants while restricting their political freedoms and weakening retirement security.
The union said it plans to organize a mass rally of civil servants and teachers at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun area on July 11 as part of what it described as a broader struggle for workers’ “survival rights.”
Among the union’s key demands are measures to address what it calls an “income gap” in the public pension system, wage increases, guarantees for safer working conditions, and expanded political rights for civil servants, who face legal restrictions on political activities under South Korean law.
KGEU Chairman Lee Hae-jun urged members to mobilize nationwide ahead of the July rally, saying public workers must rely on “unity and struggle” to secure their demands.
“We were forced to live with the label of being servants of power rather than servants of the people,” Lee told union members, emphasizing: “Sacrifice was demanded in the name of being civil servants, while our rights were thoroughly suppressed.”
Union officials said organizers will begin nationwide outreach efforts immediately to recruit participants for the July event, which they hope will draw tens of thousands of workers.
Speakers at Thursday’s rally described worsening working conditions across local governments, including excessive overtime, emergency duty assignments, and staffing shortages. Jang Kyung-hwan, a district branch leader in Seoul, said local officials have been burdened with election work, disaster response duties, and crowd-control assignments at large public events.
“Our demand is not for privilege,” Jang said. “We are demanding wages that allow a decent standard of living, fair compensation for our work, and the right to work safely.”
Other union officials highlighted workplace harassment and mental health concerns among public employees. Park Jin-hong, a branch leader from South Jeolla Province’s Jangseong County, cited multiple cases of workplace bullying, assault, and unexplained deaths involving civil servants over the past year.
Union leaders also criticized past pension reforms, arguing that younger and late-career civil servants face growing uncertainty over retirement benefits.
South Korea’s civil servants are prohibited from engaging in many forms of political activity, including openly supporting political parties or candidates, restrictions that labor groups have long argued violate basic political rights.
The KGEU said it will continue protests and regional organizing efforts through early July ahead of the planned rally in Seoul.
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