The International Labour Organization ( ILO ) once again intervened in South Korea ' s labor issue . On October 1 , the ILO determined the South Korean government ' s notice of revoking the status of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers ' Union as a serious issue and sent a letter to the Ministry of Employment and Labor repeatedly demanding that the government give up these measures and revise related legislation . The ILO had asked the South Korean government to revise the current bill , which revoked the union member status of a dismissed teacher , to fit international standards last March . The ILO ' s urgent intervention was the third such action taken since the new government took office including those concerned with the rejection of a registration to establish the Korean Government Employees ' Union . A series of urgent interventions by the ILO is an international embarrassment . And it ' s frustrating to see the government ignore these requests . ILO ' s second intervention concerning the teachers ' union was triggered by a request from the International Trade Union Confederation ( ITUC ) and Education International ( EI ) . They argued that the government should revise the concerned legislation instead of revoking the status of the educational workers ' union . They also relayed to the ILO their views that the law should be amended in line with the recommendations of the ILO ' s Committee of Experts and the Committee on Freedom of Association . The ILO reminded the South Korean government that the labor organization has on numerous occasions asked the South Korean government to revise the concerned articles in the Labor Union Act and the Labor Relations Adjustment Act , which restrict the union member status of dismissed workers and prevent them from carrying out senior positions in the labor union . It also asked the South Korean government for a prompt answer to the issues raised by ITUC and EI . The labor ministry had diminished the significance of ILO ' s letters in the past , claiming that they sought the opinion of the related government on issues raised rather than sought to file an official petition . They even argued , " It is not true that the ILO , in March , requested the South Korean government to revise legislation concerning labor unions which did not meet international standards according to the ILO recommendations . " The latest letter from the ILO can be seen as a warning against such an attitude by the South Korean government . If the government pushes ahead and revokes the legal status of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers ' Union on grounds of the qualification of dismissed workers , they will face international criticism . The educational workers ' union has launched an international campaign organizing emergency protests along with ITUC , EI and Public Services International ( PSI ) . " Until 2007 , South Korea was the only OECD member subject to special labor inspections . Korea is in a situation where it may once again face the dishonor of being labeled an underdeveloped country in labor . " To prevent these concerns of the teachers ' union from becoming reality , the South Korean government really needs to wake up and smell the coffee . 경향신문 독자 이벤트 로버트카파 사진 전 40 % 할인 바로 가 기 모바일 경향 [ 경향 뉴 스진 | 경향신문 앱 | 모바일 웹 ] | 공식 SNS 계정 [ 경향 트위터 ] [ 미 투데이 ] [ 페이스북 ] [ 세상 과 경향 의 소통 커뮤니티 ] - ⓒ 경향신문 ( www . khan . co . kr ) , 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 〈 경향신문 은 한국 온라인 신문협회 ( www . kona . or . kr ) 의 디지털 뉴스 이용 규칙 에 따른 저작 권 을 행사 합니다 . 〉