Lee to host Labor Day event with major umbrella labor unions

Lee-Labor Day event

Lee to host Labor Day event with major umbrella labor unions

SEOUL, April 30 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung will host an event commemorating Labor Day on Friday at Cheong Wa Dae with South Korea's two major umbrella labor unions, the presidential office said Thursday.

It will mark the first time a Labor Day event has been held at Cheong Wa Dae, as well as the first time both unions from different political spectrums -- the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions -- take part together.

Friday's event will bring together around 120 participants, including key figures from labor, management and government, as well as workers from diverse occupations, to mark the occasion, according to the office.

"President Lee, who once worked as a 'child laborer,' will reflect on the meaning of the restored Labor Day, empathize with the value of labor and express gratitude for workers' dedication," Cheong Wa Dae said in a release.

South Korea had initially observed Labor Day on May 1 before it was renamed "Workers' Day" in 1963. The government restored the name to Labor Day last year and designated it as a national holiday earlier this month, allowing all workers to take the day off.

In his commemorative address, Lee is expected to outline the government's labor policies, such as enhancing workplace safety to reduce industrial accidents and redistributing the gains of economic growth.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on April 30, 2026. (Yonhap)