[Asia Today] Minseok Si, Head of Lee & Ko’s ESG Center: “Dismantling the Dual Structure Is a Necessary Hurdle… We Must Balance an Expanded Concept of ‘Employer Status’ with the ‘Essence of Managerial Authority’”

On September 17, 2025, Asia Today published an interview with Minseok Si, Head of the ESG Center at Lee & Ko. The article introduced Mr. Si as a labor–management relations expert who served for over 30 years at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, including as Senior Administrative Officer for Employment & Labor and as Commissioner of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. Drawing on his extensive field experience and policy design/coordination capabilities, he now plays a strategic role at Lee & Ko in linking labor-sector issues with corporate ESG initiatives.

In the interview, Mr. Si stated that “the Yellow Envelope Act fundamentally embodies an intent to resolve the dual structures and polarization between non-regular and regular workers, large enterprises and SMEs, and the central and local spheres.” He added that, “from the perspective of building a virtuous cycle, it accords with the spirit of ESG. Although it is a new and untested domain, it is a mountain we must cross and a challenge we must overcome.” He further emphasized the need to strike an appropriate balance between expanding the scope of “employer status” and preserving the “essence of managerial authority.”