This book covers the life of former Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Chae-pil, filled with adversity and challenges, as well as the beliefs he established and maintained in labor-related administration and the actions he took in accordance with them while working in labor-related fields, from his position as a civil servant at the Ministry of Employment and Labor to his position as Minister.
The author, who had to endure the world's contempt and discrimination while living with a disability in both legs due to polio, says that he wanted to throw a stone of resentment at various irrationalities and inefficiencies in South Korea, starting with the stone he threw as a child to protect himself from those who bullied him by making fun of his disability.


This book is a collection of writings that pour out the author's life and beliefs as a labor administrator in over 900 pages. "The Rock Thrown by Lee Chae-pil (1)" corresponds to the first four chapters of this extensive work.


Chapter 1 contains the story of the author, who had to overcome discrimination and contempt for being labeled as a "polio-disabled person" in a rural area where electricity was only available in his hometown when he was a senior in college. He overcame many adversities and challenges to enter college through the GED exam, and then took the civil service exam to become a civil servant at the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
The author recounts that as a child, living in a remote village, the only means of contact with the world was the radio. One day, by chance, he heard the words, “Administration is what actively solves the world’s problems, and a modern state is an administrative state,” and this sent shivers down his spine, solidifying his resolve to become a civil servant.


Chapter 2 discusses labor policies that author Lee Chae-pil led and participated in while serving as an employment and labor expert and administrative official, including the enactment of the Act on Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities, the integration of the utilization of foreign workers and the employment permit system, the implementation of the employment insurance system, and the introduction of the vocational skills development account system.
The author, who has spent over 30 years as a labor administrator, has noted that administrators must always focus on the "field," and has declared "jobs" and "people" as his administrative goals.
Chapters 3 and 4 are chapters that provide a glimpse into author Lee Chae-pil's beliefs and principles regarding the proper position of 'law' in labor-management relations, based on his experience in regulating labor-management relations, which is a major axis of labor-related issues in Korea.


It contains public misunderstandings about the role and mission of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, secrets for resolving difficulties and problems encountered while enacting laws or promoting administration, the story of how maternity protection benefits came to be borne by the Employment Insurance Fund, suggestions for creative challenges for young people, the honest response of labor, management, and government to the long-term strike at Hyundai Heavy Industries, and the process by which the principle of no work, no pay and the principle of post-facto legal action regardless of labor and management were established, as well as evaluations of the labor disputes at Ssangyong Motors and Hanjin Heavy Industries. In particular, in 'Labor Reform after 13 Years - Implementation of Multiple Unions and Abolition of Full-time Union Officials', vivid testimony about the 'labor administration' that the author was involved in or promoted is recorded.
You can read the author's philosophy of labor administration, titled 'CD on LP: Labor-management autonomous solution within the framework of law and principles.'
In order to resolve the conflictual labor-management relations in Korea, the book specifically describes the implementation process of various labor-management relations reforms, such as labor reform through a tripartite agreement between labor, management, and the government based on a broad national consensus including labor, management, and the public interest, the introduction of a work hour exemption system, reform of full-time union officials, and the permission of multiple unions and the unification of negotiation channels. It also fully captures the leadership of labor, management, and the wisdom of administrators who wisely displayed themselves in the face of crises.


Chapter 5, "Safety and Justice - Behind the Industrial Accident and Serious Accident Prevention Act," is filled with content related to the revision of laws related to industrial safety and health to create a country safe from industrial accidents, and, above all, the spread of safety culture and awareness and the establishment of a center for the prevention of serious industrial accidents.
In his keynote speech at the 30th World Congress on Occupational Health, titled "Korea's Strategy for Preventing Industrial Accidents and Improving the Working Environment," he focused on introducing key issues in Korea's industrial health and strategies for preventing industrial accidents.
Through the contents of this keynote speech, we can find the future and direction of industrial safety and health administration.
And it clearly clarified the social, economic, and historical background of the Serious Disaster Punishment Act, which is currently a social issue, and the limitations of the law that prioritizes criminal punishment in the process of creating a safe country.

In Chapter 6, "The National Assembly and the Executive Branch in a Strange Country - Administration, Politics, and the Accountability of Bureaucracy," we can sense the author's lament over the "excessive politicization of administration and policy" resulting from political acumen and judgment that go beyond administrative procedures and legal requirements.
In various administrative and policy cases, such as the 'Establishment of Job World', 'Non-regular Workers Protection Act', 'Extension of retirement age for favoritism like roasting beans in a flash', 'Income-led growth and rapid increase in minimum wage', and 'Reduction of working hours', it systematically records the social and economic chaos and side effects caused by 'populism for favoritism' and 'administration for favoritism' that go beyond the law and common sense.
What kind of National Assembly is this? The book specifically addresses issues such as Yeouido politics, populism, and political budgeting, empirical exploration of a healthy relationship between the National Assembly and the executive branch, and the problems of excessive attempts at politically motivated legislation. The author's view of public service, stating, "Politics can be implemented with 51% approval, but a policy will ultimately fail if even 1% of the votes are wrong," will serve as a model for all public servants.
As a public official, he confesses the failures and frustrations he experienced directly and indirectly in the employment and labor administration (policy) and emphasizes that such failures should not be repeated.

Chapter 7, 'The Shadow of Reform - After the Jjangdol, Reflection and Responsibility', conveys to readers the turbulent life of a civil servant who promoted reform after leaving office (the true nature of eradicating deep-rooted evils), focusing on his experiences and records during the investigation and trial process.
In Chapter 8, 'Answering Foolish Questions - With a Ground-Up Spirit', he reflects on his 30 years of public service and introduces various episodes and cases of promoting personnel innovation and revitalizing organizations based on his direct and indirect experience of 'work and practicality are separate' personnel management.
In particular, in the section “Pro-labor, pro-management, pro-job minister,” one can feel the author’s deep convictions and philosophy regarding employment and labor policy, as well as his love for the people and the country.

This book is much more of a historical record of the complex production process of labor-related policies than an autobiographical account of the author.
As a civil servant in the Republic of Korea, I share my concerns, struggles, twists and turns, pain, and vision and direction for the future of administration, while delivering a message of dreams and hope to everyone.
The author passed the civil service examination with excellent grades and chose the Ministry of Labor. He then covered the entire spectrum of employment and labor administration, including industrial safety, employment, job skills, and labor-management relations. He improved and developed policies with a practical approach, while simultaneously recording his multifaceted efforts to legislate them, thereby adding historical value.
Behind this background, one can read a sharp sense of problem and the courage to throw a fastball at each time, and this can be seen to be supported by the author's skill and perseverance that he subtly displays.

When we use the word "if", we are assuming that it has not happened yet.

If I had lived a life without disabilities and held public office in a different ministry, how different would my situation be now?

Perhaps, given my personality, if my life had been a triumphant one, free from the setbacks and frustrations caused by my disability, I would have experienced even more mistakes and setbacks. I would have been a self-righteous, self-righteous person, driven by a conviction that I was right, and unwilling to listen to others.

As the proverb says, "Without discussion, management falls apart, but with many strategies, management succeeds," I think that my disability served as a brake that made me more serious.


Also, if I had spent most of my life in another ministry or a private company instead of working as a civil servant in the government, especially at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the environment might have been different from what it is now.

Looking back, public service was a career that aligned with my ideals because it allowed me to directly influence more people with my abilities.
I consider it a very appropriate path for me to choose the Ministry of Employment and Labor and dedicate my youth to it, as it was a blue ocean area where I could fully develop my talents in a ministry that was just starting out.


Of course, along the way, I occasionally encountered difficulties that others would not experience.

However, I hope that my future evaluation will not be so harsh, as it is not because I did something shameful, and the truth will come out someday.

Finally, I express my feelings with a poem by Robert Frost (1874-1963).
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by.
And that changed everything for me.”

--- From "Epilogue - The Road Not Taken"