The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is a national confederation of labor unions consisting of 16 industrial unions (federations) and 17 regional headquarters. It is considered one of the two giants of the Korean labor world along with the FKTU, and together they are referred to as the 'Two Major Confederations.' It comprises 217 affiliated unions with a total of 1,086,618 members. While the abbreviation 'Min-no-chong' is widely used by some media outlets, the KCTU strongly dislikes it. This is because the term originated during past conservative regimes that viewed the use of the word 'Minju' (Democratic) in organization names with suspicion and intentionally used 'Min-no-chong' to obscure the 'Democratic' part of the name. Internally, they prefer the abbreviation 'Chong-yeon-maeng' (Confederation), as they view the KCTU not as a single organization but as a union of democratic labor unions. For example, while the School Irregular Workers' Union supports the Progressive Party and prefers active struggle, the Food Workers' Union supports the Justice Party, refrains from active struggle, and emphasizes compromise. The KCTU is controversial due to the presence of many individuals who take a favorable or conciliatory stance toward North Korea, which leads South Korean right-wing and anti-North Korean figures to view them negatively. In fact, their anti-KCTU values were further solidified by an incident where an NL (National Liberation) faction member infiltrated the KCTU and engaged in espionage under orders from North Korea. The KCTU is not fond of the two major political parties. The stereotype of the KCTU as an organization that 'moves in perfect order under central command' is a narrative created by established media. Cases of backlash from certain industrial or corporate branches, which major newspapers like Chosun, JoongAng, and Dong-a report as the 'disintegration of the KCTU,' are often just 'healthy debates' that pose no internal problem. The names of affiliated unions at each workplace are styled as '(Industry) Labor Union, (Company or Employer Name) Branch (or Headquarters, Chapter, Section).' However, since industrial unionization is not yet complete, corporate or 'small-scale industrial' affiliated unions use the name '(Employer Name) Labor Union.'

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions has cooperated with conservative parties to the point of being called a 'company union,' but it became critical of them following the railroading of labor laws. After weighing various parties, it became pro-Democratic Party as it participated as a founding entity of the Democratic United Party. However, even now, when conservative parties need dialogue or information regarding labor issues, they tend to contact the FKTU—which is relatively more moderate—rather than the KCTU, where they would likely only face criticism. The relationship between the FKTU and the KCTU is not good, as the FKTU views the KCTU as idealists, while the KCTU views the FKTU as a company union. Historically, the FKTU is the oldest union in Korea, but because there was a period when it suppressed workers, it cannot say much to the KCTU regarding its past. The FKTU emphasizes compromise over struggle, but sometimes it prioritizes compromise so much that it makes choices that actually benefit the company. Because of this, some figures offer critical support to the KCTU. The FKTU and KCTU do occasionally cooperate.