By Jung Hae-myoung
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has stepped up efforts to support emotional workers as it opens the Seoul Emotional Labor Center, today, to protect the rights of those laborers.
The center, located near Anguk Station on Line No. 3, is the nation's first facility of its kind.
Emotional work requires workers to hide or distort their real emotions in their interactions with customers and superiors. Those involved in relevant industries include nurses, call center workers and flight attendants.
"The Seoul Emotional Labor Center will protect and uphold the rights of the emotional workers," said Park Kyung-hwan, the director of the labor policy division. "We hope this place will become a channel to hear out the workers and make Seoul a place in which residents can live happy and healthy lives."
According to the Seoul City, 2.6 million people, or 35 percent of the 7.4 million emotional workers are employed in Seoul.
The center will provide diverse services ranging from free psychological consultation and healing services to preventive education.
It is an expanded yet independent organization from the Seoul Labor Center in March that is comprised of 11 people divided into two teams.
The center became an independent organization from a team at the Seoul Labor Center on March 2017 to function as a control tower to protect people who are in emotional work.
The metropolitan government said the center will focus on improving the working environment of those workers.
In May, Seoul City rolled out guidelines for emotional workers for the first time among local governments and the center will monitor whether it is being followed.
Also, it will offer a consulting program to affiliates of the local government to create exemplary cases, while building a network with relevant organizations to improve awareness of those employees.
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