It represents the company union tendency of the South Korean labour movement, as opposed to the more militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).

[1] After the May 16 coup in 1961, the Park Chung Hee regime dissolved the General Federation of Korean Trade Unions and its affiliates.

[2] The FKTU was the sole legal trade union center in South Korea until the KCTU was recognized in November 1999.

The Korean Government previously considered the KCTU as a terrorist organisation.

The FKTU is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation.