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Prime Minister Kim Min-seok hands out rice cakes to workers during a visit to the early-morning labor market near Namguro Station in Guro District, Seoul, on Oct. 10. / Source: Yonhap News

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited an early-morning labor market near Namguro Station in Seoul on Friday to hear directly from workers and local officials about their difficulties, criticizing the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan to cut related funding as “foolish.”

Arriving at around 4:50 a.m., Kim met with Kwon Hyuk-tae, acting chairman of the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association, and Jang In-hong, mayor of Guro District, to receive a briefing on the labor market’s operations and encourage on-site volunteers. He was accompanied by Rep. Yoon Kun-young of the Democratic Party and Kim Hyung-kwang, acting director-general for employment policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

During the meeting, held inside the association’s job counseling bus, Mayor Jang explained, “The budget for the early-morning job program is about 150 million won, jointly funded by the Seoul city government and Guro District. Seoul contributes about 100 million won, and the district covers 50 million, but we were recently informed that the city intends to eliminate its share entirely next year.”

Kim sharply criticized the move, saying, “I don’t understand why they would do something so foolish. It’s not even a large amount of money.” He stressed that “basic programs like this must be maintained” and pledged to discuss the issue with the Seoul Metropolitan Council.

The prime minister also asked, “If the city cuts its share, will the district have to fund it entirely on its own?” to which Mayor Jang replied, “If the cut is finalized, we’ll allocate our own funds. This is one of the largest labor markets, and we can’t shut it down.”

After the meeting, Kim toured nearby facilities, including the mutual aid association’s tents, and handed out rice cakes to workers waiting for day jobs.

“You’re all doing such hard work,” Kim told the workers. “We’ll do our best to create more jobs and support those who come here seeking opportunities. Thank you for your dedication.”