I visited a large bookstore while sightseeing in Kyoto, Japan this past June. While there, I was surprised and in awe about two things: one was the number of labor management books in the Labor Law section, while the other was that those labor books were divided into practical guides and volumes on research & theory. In Korea, not only are there few books on labor management, but most are simply academic and do not lend themselves well as practical guides.

The articles and books I have written have not been directly related to actual application of labor laws, and so I have made work-related manuals to help companies make such real-life applications. In this practical manual, I have selected 20 themes in which I made detailed references to related law and court rulings, case studies, and application guidelines.

This manual was intended to provide a suitable model in the midst of restructuring to appropriately manage corporate human resources so that both employees and employers will enjoy a relationship that is mutually beneficial. First of all, from the company perspective, only the best can survive in a world of “survival of the fittest”, and only the survivors can continue to keep their employee levels. However, from the employee standpoint, dismissals should be used only as a last resort, and this principle should be maintained in the course of reasonable personnel restructuring.

The purpose of this "Restructuring Manual" is not to encourage companies to dismiss their employees, but to help prevent managerial dismissals. Personnel managers should understand the entire process of managerial dismissal and try to avoid legal disputes that may arise in the near future by helping the employees and employers to make reasonable decisions.

Finally, I would like to thank those who gave their full support in the process of completing this book.

Bongsoo Jung / Ph.D., Labor Attorney
December 1, 2018