The chairman of the parliamentary labor committee has cast doubt on whether the body can discuss the ratification of international labor conventions at the current time.

At a meeting hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday, main opposition Liberty Korea Party lawmaker and committee chair Kim Hack-yong called the ratification of International Labor Organization(ILO) conventions even more controversial than raising the minimum wage.

President Moon Jae-in hopes to have the conventions ratified before he attends a ceremony in June marking the centennial of the establishment of the United Nations body, while Kim warned against rushing such a move.

Acknowledging that ratifying the conventions would be the right thing to do in the long term, Kim stressed that organized labor and management should first strike a deal favorable to both sides.

South Korea joined the ILO in 1991 but has yet to ratify four key conventions concerning the strengthening of basic labor rights due to wide disagreements between concerned parties.