Ruling Party Faces 'Carrots Only for Business' Criticism over Call for '52-Hour Workweek Exception'

Amidst Industry Minister Kim Jeong-kwan’s statement on the 7th that the 'Mega City Special Zone Act' should include clauses exempting the maximum working hour limit (52-hour workweek), the Rebuilding Korea Party and the Progressive Party expressed their opposition. The Mega City Special Zone Act is a bill designed to lift regulations on advanced industry hubs and provide tax benefits and infrastructure support. Surrounding this bill, opinions within the ruling party are divided between the necessity of introducing regulatory special cases and concerns that it may be 'favoring the business community too much.'

Within the Democratic Party leadership, opinions were raised that labor flexibility is necessary, but limited to research and development (R&D) personnel, to secure competitiveness in advanced strategic industries such as artificial intelligence (AI). Conversely, Democratic Party members of the National Council on Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor voiced concerns, arguing that adding labor flexibility on top of significant state support goes too far.

Rebuilding Korea Party Policy Committee Chair Kim Sun-min urged the withdrawal of the plan to exclude the 52-hour workweek, stating that no causal relationship between extending working hours and industrial competitiveness has been proven. Progressive Party Spokesperson Hong Sung-kyu called for the immediate cessation of relevant remarks, citing the reality that Korea has the longest working hours among OECD nations.

The Democratic Party plans to begin discussions in earnest during the Industry, Trade, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee review process once the government draft is forwarded to the National Assembly, starting with the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s administrative report at the Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee plenary meeting on the 12th.