Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has emphasized social dialogue as a way of alleviating the new coronavirus’ impact on local businesses and their workers. 

Chung held a meeting Tuesday with former labor representatives and emphasized that both management and labor agree on the need for trilateral dialogue involving the government to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. 

According to the prime minister’s office, senior figures in the labor community sympathized with his opinions. 

They said labor-management relations should take the next step forward, based on mutual trust, to help bring about a social paradigm shift, and urged the government to play an active role.

Chung responded by ensuring the government’s sincere will and commitment to realize a society that respects labor and asked for the labor community's continuous advice and cooperation on the issue.