Seoul: The National Assembly passed a controversial labor bill that broadens workers' rights Sunday. The ruling Democratic Party led the vote, pushing the "yellow envelope bill" through despite a filibuster by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). The filibuster ended earlier in the day, and the PPP boycotted the vote, which was subsequently approved in a 183-3 vote at a plenary session.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the bill, which amends the Labor Union Act, is primarily designed to guarantee the bargaining rights of indirectly employed subcontracted workers. The bill also prohibits companies from filing lawsuits for damages or provisional seizures against unionized workers, which many argue businesses have used to suppress strikes.

South Korea's major business lobby groups have voiced opposition to the bill, saying that the bill could cause extreme confusion at workplaces and that it could also make companies' business decisions, including overseas investments, a reason for workers' collective action, disrupting their operations.

Labor groups welcomed the bill's passage, with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) calling it "the historic fruit" of two decades of activist sacrifices. The KCTU, one of the country's two largest umbrella labor groups, said, "(The) simple and undeniable truth" that "every worker has the right to unite and bargain has finally become law." The group called for the government to come up with follow-up measures consistent with the bill's spirit.