The leader of the ruling Saenuri Party vowed Monday to press ahead with efforts to reform the country's rigid labor market.
  

"The party will make all-out efforts in pushing ahead with reforming the labor market in the second half of this year for the sake of our country's future," Kim Moo-sung said in a meeting with senior party members.
  

The remarks came as President Park Geun-hye has been struggling to overhaul labor issues regarding market duality -- the difference in pay and job security between regular and non-regular workers.
  

Companies have become increasingly reluctant to recruit regular workers and instead only rely on non-regular workers that they can fire more easily as the economy remains sluggish, a development that has pushed up the jobless rate for young people.
  

"The most serious problem the South Korean society is facing is the polarization of the labor market," Kim said, adding that such polarization leads to a widening income gap.
  

Kim noted that the party will make the issue a top priority as solving the problem could help put the country's sluggish economy back on track.
  

The leader also asked the main opposition party for its cooperation. (Yonhap)