Kwon Jung-dong

Kwon Jung-dong
Minister of Labor
In office 1980 – 21 May 1982
Preceded by	Park Chang-gyu
Succeeded by	Jeong-Joo Jeong
Member of the National Assembly of South Korea
In office 11 April 1985 – 29 May 1988
Preceded by	Chong-dal Kwon
Personal details
Born	10 September 1932
Died	26 November 2021(2021-11-26) (aged 89)
Nationality	South Korean
Political party	DJP

Kwon Jung-dong (Korean: 권중동; 10 September 1932 – 26 November 2021) was a South Korean politician. A member of the Democratic Justice Party, he served as Minister of Labor from 1980 to 1982 and in the National Assembly from 1985 to 1988.

Early life

Jung-dong was born on September 10, 1932 in Sinseol-dong, Seoul, South Korea, the fourth child of seven. Jung-dong would receive his high school diploma from Andong High School, before attending a teacher training course at the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National, graduating in 1955.

Political career

In 1961, Jung-dong would become the Secretary General of the National Postal Workers Union, succeeding the position in 1964 to become president. Addidionally, in 1970 he would serve as director of the Central Education Center of the Korean Federation of Trade Unions.

Jung-dong would formally enter into politics in 1976, as a member of Yushin Jeongwoohoe National Assembly in the 9th National Assembly. His initial foray would be marked with a strong consciousness of the position of South Koreon workers. In 1979, Jung-dong would collaborate with some other persons involved within the Labour movement, notable Choi Soon, who was later arrested protesting, in an attempt to solve the YH incident. Jung-dong was promoted to Commissioner of Labour in 1980, but received the position of Minister of Labour when the Office of Labour became the Ministry of Labour in 1981, serving until 1982.

In 1987, after being elected to the National Assembly in 1985 as a candidate for the Democratic Justice Party, Jung-dong authored and proposed the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency bill which aimed to "maintain and promote the safety and health of employees by preventing industrial accidents by establishing standards on industrial safety and health and clarifying where the responsibility lies, and by creating a comfortable working environment." The bill was well received and significantly raised Jung-dong's profile within the Labour movement.

Jung-dong would run in the 13th National Assembly in 1988, again as a candidate for the Democratic Justice Party, but would fail to be elected. He would again fail to be elected in 1992, this time running as an independent.

Personal life

Jung-dong has five daughters.[1]