The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has announced its decision to directly employ subcontracted workers from various island regions, including Ulleungdo, who have been engaged in maintenance and management tasks at power plants. This decision comes in light of a recent second ruling from the Gwangju High Court, which mandated that KEPCO must directly hire these workers. On October 10, KEPCO confirmed that they had sent a notice to the workers involved in the labor status confirmation lawsuit, outlining plans for contracts and an upcoming briefing to clarify the hiring process.

The Gwangju High Court's ruling, delivered on September 22, upheld the initial ruling in favor of the workers from subcontractor JBC, determining that KEPCO's employment practices constituted illegal dispatch. The court highlighted that the workers were performing tasks under KEPCO's direct supervision and guidance, receiving necessary training, and interacting with KEPCO employees for job-related instructions. These factors contributed to the court's conclusion that a tripartite labor dispatch relationship existed among KEPCO, the workers, and JBC, which is fully owned by a group of KEPCO retirees and has long contracted with KEPCO since 1996.

In a notable shift from previous judicial outcomes, KEPCO has decided not to appeal this ruling, indicating the company’s acknowledgment of the court's findings regarding employment practices. Following the first ruling in June 2023, KEPCO had ended its contract with JBC and transferred operational responsibilities to its subsidiary, KEPCO MCS, resulting in the hiring of only a subset of the subcontracted workers. This move raises significant implications for labor rights and employment practices in the power industry, particularly in the treatment of outsourced labor.