[Unofficial translation provided by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

"Promising to Protect Vulnerable Workers? Labour Ministry Ignoring Unfair Dismissal of Driver", 11 March 2025

Cheongbang, a platform company providing chauffeur services primarily to large corporate clients such as Samsung, Hyundai, and CJ, is facing criticism for unfairly dismissing a driver. On January 9th, Cheongbang fired a member of the driver’s union after they demanded transparency over the company’s compulsory charges for employee expenses and management fees.

…The Driver’s Union has reported the incident as a clear case of unfair dismissal and filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labour. However, two months have passed since the filing, and the Ministry has yet to intervene, stating that "chauffeur drivers are not considered employees under the Labour Standards Act and therefore do not qualify for unfair dismissal protection." In the meantime, the company has sent a notice to all its affiliates justifying the dismissal and urging further action.

…On the 11th of March, the Driver’s Union held a press conference, criticising both the platform company for treating workers as disposable and Minister Kim Moon-soo of the Ministry of Employment and Labour for his failure to take action. The union also called for practical measures to prevent further unfair dismissals, as well as the protection of labour rights for special and platform workers, demanding the government guarantee their basic labour rights.