2026.10.25. The Fair Economy — The Ministry of Employment and Labor will use a manual that standardizes experienced inspectors' field expertise into 36 inspection items for the training of newly appointed regional labor inspectors. Trainees will undergo two weeks of theoretical education, followed by six weeks of hands-on practice covering the entire inspection process at mock workplaces across nine industries, including restaurants, manufacturing and lodging. Only those who pass the completion assessment will be certified as inspectors.
The ministry announced on the 25th that it will begin the practical training program 'Inspection School' for new local labor inspectors starting the 26th. Five local governments, including Gyeonggi and Jeju, will also undergo a preliminary assessment of their ability to perform delegated duties ahead of the implementation of local inspections on December 8.
The "Standard Manual for Workplace Inspections by Regional Labor Inspectors" is a newly developed textbook that systematizes inspection procedures and the decision-making process. It details how experienced inspectors cross-check multiple sources of data to establish facts and apply relevant laws. For each of the 36 inspection items, it lays out in detail the data to be checked, the procedures and criteria for making judgments, and follow-up measures. Matters requiring complex judgment, such as wage calculations and determining the number of regular employees, are set apart in an "in-depth review" section containing field issues and case examples.
Trainees undergo two weeks of theoretical education followed by six weeks of practical training at mock workplaces across nine industries, including restaurants, manufacturing and lodging. In the practical sessions, trainees follow the manual to cross-check records such as wage ledgers and attendance logs and determine whether violations have occurred. They repeatedly practice the entire inspection process, from filling out checklists to issuing corrective orders, conducting investigations and referring cases for prosecution. In industrial safety and health training, trainees get hands-on experience with hazards and risks found at industrial sites, such as those involving machinery, equipment, electricity and work in confined spaces. The ministry plans to ensure that trainees can immediately carry out inspection and oversight duties in the field, and that only inspectors with sufficient practical competence are deployed on-site.
Ten prospective local government inspectors already completed labor inspector training in August. This round of the Inspection School will involve 27 trainees from eight local governments.
The preliminary review is conducted under Article 28, Paragraph 1 of the Act on the Performance of Duties by Labor Inspectors. It is a process to confirm whether local governments have the organization, personnel, training and other conditions necessary to carry out inspections before they begin. On-site inspections are carried out based on self-assessment forms submitted by local governments, and any shortcomings found are required to be addressed. Once the review is complete, local governments will select workplaces to be covered under delegated authority through consultations with national and regional labor inspection councils in November, and begin inspections in line with the law's enforcement.
The Act on the Performance of Duties by Labor Inspectors, which takes effect on December 8, divides supervision, previously handled exclusively by the central government for 73 years since the enactment of the Labor Standards Act in 1953, between the central and local governments. It establishes separate central labor inspectors under the Ministry of Employment and Labor and local labor inspectors under metropolitan cities and provinces. Mayors and governors will receive delegated authority to supervise workplaces, including the power to directly investigate and refer cases for prosecution and impose fines if violations are not corrected. Complaints, criminal complaints, collective labor relations laws, and the Serious Accident Punishment Act are excluded from delegation.
Prosecutors' directives do not apply to investigations by local inspectors. This is because the revised Criminal Procedure Act replaced prosecutors' investigative directives for special judicial police with guidance and advice. To complement this, the ministry has established a three-tier support system involving dispatched central inspectors, regional labor offices, and prosecutors providing guidance and advice.
Gyeonggi Province is moving to recruit 170 local labor inspectors. The recruited inspectors will undergo the ministry's job training and designation as judicial police officers, and are scheduled to begin field inspections in 2027.
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