Yang Kyung-soo, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has formally declared a bid for a third term. The election is expected to be a turning point for the KCTU's stance on social dialogue, including whether it rejoins the Economic, Social and Labor Council, the country's tripartite forum for labor, management and government.
Yang announced his decision to run at a central executive committee meeting on the 15th, saying he would "complete the task of social dialogue," the KCTU said on the 16th.
Yang was elected the KCTU's 13th president in December 2020 and won a second term in the 14th leadership election in November 2023, becoming the first president from a non-regular worker background to serve consecutive terms. He came up through the Gyeonggi Dongbu Alliance, part of the Jeonguk Hoeui (National Congress) faction in the National Liberation camp, the largest internal political bloc within the KCTU.
If he wins, Yang would become the KCTU's first three-term president. At the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, Kim Dong-myeong secured a third term in January. Should Yang also win, both of the country's umbrella labor groups would be led by presidents serving extended tenures through third consecutive terms.
The bid comes just after the push for social dialogue hit a snag. The KCTU took up a proposal for social bargaining at a special delegates' meeting on the 7th, but the session collapsed after opposing delegates walked out en masse. That is why the outcome of Yang's bid is seen as determining whether the KCTU resumes social dialogue, including a return to the tripartite council.
Voting for the next president runs from the 19th to the 25th of next month. If a candidate wins a majority, the result will emerge on the 25th. The new president's term formally begins Jan. 1.