The nation's top court has ruled that actors in the broadcast industry fit the legal definition of laborers under the Labor Union Act.

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that sided with the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the Korea Broadcasting Actors Union(KBAU) regarding collective bargaining rights.

The court said that actors in the broadcast industry can be recognized as laborers because it is necessary for them to negotiate with their employers on an equal footing through a labor union.

Following the ruling, organizations set up by broadcast workers can be formally recognized as labor unions, enabling them to negotiate wages with broadcast companies. 

The KBAU, whose membership includes some 44-hundred TV actors, voice actors, comedians and stunt people, originally filed the lawsuit in 2012 when the National Labor Relations Commission ruled that the union cannot engage in collective bargaining as they do not represent workers in the legal sense.

The first court ruling sided with the commission, noting that those in the broadcast industry are not tied to one specific firm but can freely work with different broadcasters.

The appeals ruling, however, argued that actors should also be viewed as laborers because they receive direct orders from the director or producer in their acting performance.