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Taxi Driver Ko Young-gi Ends High-Altitude Protest Following Launch of Government Task Force ? “We Will Monitor the Process Until the Enforcement Decree Is Amended”

At 5 p.m. on October 8, taxi driver Ko Young-gi finally set foot on the ground after spending 194 days atop a 20-meter-high telecommunications tower near Gil Hospital Intersection in Incheon. Ko had climbed the tower to demand that the taxi industry be excluded from the deemed working hours system under the Labor Standards Act. For more than six months, he endured the scorching summer heat and monsoon rains in a space measuring barely 0.8 square meters. His prolonged protest came to an end after the government demonstrated its willingness to address the issue by launching a task force (TF) on October 8 to investigate working hours and labor conditions in the taxi industry.

“I Have Come Down, but the Struggle Is Not Over”

In an interview with Maeil Labor News on October 11, Ko emphasized that his return to the ground did not mean the end of his campaign. “Just because I have come down does not mean the struggle is over,” he said. “I will continue to monitor whether the government actually amends the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act to exclude the taxi industry from the deemed working hours system.” He added, “We will also work to reform this outdated system so that all industries where actual working hours can be measured are excluded from its application, even when employees work outside their employers' premises.”

Ko is currently receiving medical treatment at Green Hospital in Jungnang-gu, Seoul. He recalled that when he first stepped onto the ground, he experienced a sensation similar to motion sickness and could barely stand for a while. However, he reported no serious health problems. Over the weekend, he personally thanked the fellow activists and supporters who had stood by him throughout the protest. Some visited him at the hospital, giving him his first opportunity to meet them face-to-face. “From 20 meters above the ground, I could not clearly see the faces of those supporting me. Only now have I finally been able to recognize them,” Ko said. “They served as a powerful amplifier for the small voices of taxi workers.” He expressed renewed determination, saying, “We have only taken the first step, but I believe we can achieve our goals with the continued support of our fellow activists.” The Background: A Dispute Over the Taxi Wage System and Working Hours

Ko began his high-altitude protest on March 29 in opposition to a proposed amendment to the Taxi Transportation Business Development Act, which would postpone the nationwide implementation of the full monthly wage system for taxi drivers. Although the amendment was subsequently passed by the National Assembly, Ko continued his protest, demanding both the full implementation of the monthly wage system and the exclusion of taxi drivers from the deemed working hours system. Under Article 58 of the Labor Standards Act, the deemed working hours system allows an employer to recognize a prescribed number of working hours when an employee performs work outside the workplace and it is difficult to calculate the employee's actual working hours. However, taxi drivers and labor unions argue that modern technology, including digital tachographs and GPS tracking systems, makes it possible to accurately determine taxi drivers' actual working hours. Despite these technological advances, some taxi companies allegedly continue to establish contractual working hours that are substantially shorter than the hours employees actually work. Labor groups therefore argue that applying the deemed working hours system to taxi drivers is no longer justified. They have demanded that the government amend the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act to exclude the taxi industry and other occupations where actual working hours can be objectively measured.

Government Launches Task Force: Will It Lead to Regulatory Reform?

On the morning of October 8, representatives of the government, taxi labor unions, and employers held the inaugural meeting of the Task Force on Working Hours and Labor Conditions in the Taxi Industry at the Korea Vocational Competency Assessment Institute in Seoul.

The task force agreed to commission a research project examining working conditions in the taxi industry. The investigation will focus on whether taxi drivers' actual working hours can be accurately measured and whether the continued application of the deemed working hours system is appropriate. Based on the findings, the task force will develop proposals for institutional and regulatory improvements. The task force consists of representatives from labor unions, employers, and government agencies, including:

The Korean Democratic Taxi Workers' Union

The Taxi Branch of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union

The Federation of Korean Taxi Workers' Unions

The National Federation of Taxi Transportation Business Associations

The Ministry of Employment and Labor

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Its nine members comprise four labor representatives, three government representatives, and two employer representatives.

The next meeting is scheduled to take place before the end of October. 

The Remaining Challenge: Turning Research Findings into Actual Reform. The central question now is whether the task force's investigation will lead to meaningful regulatory changes rather than end with another research report.

The taxi workers' union expects the government to use the findings to amend the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act and issue administrative guidelines excluding taxi drivers from the deemed working hours system. Choi Se-ho, head of the Taxi Branch of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union, pointed to an earlier government-commissioned study. “In 2015, the Ministry of Employment and Labor commissioned the Korea Labor Institute to conduct research, which concluded that taxi drivers' working hours could be calculated using digital driving records,” Choi said.

“Given how much technology has advanced since then, it is difficult to imagine that a new study would reach a different conclusion.” He added that the civil society support committee would remain active to monitor the government's actions until meaningful reforms were achieved. For Ko Young-gi and the taxi workers who supported his campaign, the end of the 194-day high-altitude protest represents a significant milestone, but not the final victory. The real test will be whether the government's newly established task force produces concrete amendments to the law's enforcement regulations and ensures that taxi drivers' actual working hours are properly recognized.

Reported by Eom Jae-hee Published: October 12, 2026, at 6:30 a.m. Email: eom@labortoday.co.kr

Source: Maeil Labor News https://www.labortoday.co.kr