Democratic Party Tables Two Versions of Special Zone Bill, With and Without Labor Exemptions
The Democratic Party's 'two-track strategy' of simultaneously submitting one bill with a labor exemption and another without has run into fierce resistance from within its own ranks. In connection with the Metropolitan Special Zone Act to support mega special zones such as the Jeonnam-Gwangju semiconductor cluster, the party submitted to the National Assembly both a version that includes an exemption from the 52-hour workweek for high-earning and research workers, and a version without it. With passage by year's end set as a firm goal, the party appears willing to absorb even internal defections over the contentious provision. Some within the party have criticized the move, saying it is "hedging its bets too quickly."
Why the Metropolitan Special Zone Act Became Controversial
The Metropolitan Special Zone Act, commonly known as the Mega Special Zone Act, is legislation whose core aim is to create an institutional framework for sweeping deregulation when building large-scale industrial complexes, such as semiconductor clusters, that span multiple local governments. The demands from industry and regional communities were strong enough to make it a flagship legislative task of the regular National Assembly session. However, during the bill review process, the labor exemption provision emerged as a stumbling block. The proposal to exempt high-income professionals and research workers from the 52-hour weekly cap faced strong resistance from labor groups and some members of the party.
The essence of the dispute is simple. From the business perspective, allowing long working hours for research personnel is seen as unavoidable to maintain the competitiveness of advanced industries such as semiconductors. Labor, on the other hand, counters that applying basic labor rights differently on the grounds of high income conflicts with the constitutional principle of equality. As the conflict showed no sign of resolution, the Democratic Party chose to table two bills simultaneously — a so-called two-track strategy.
Key Provisions and Scope of the Bills
The version with the labor exemption would except research and development personnel and high-earning workers from the 52-hour weekly work limit under the Labor Standards Act within special zones. The version without it removes only this provision while keeping the rest of the framework intact — including the designation process for metropolitan special zones, regulatory exemptions, and support systems. The calculation behind reviewing both bills together is that even if the labor exemption goes to a floor vote, the legislation establishing the special zone system itself can be secured.
Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Ki-sang is reported to have stated his position from a rights-protection perspective regarding the submission of the version without the labor exemption. In other words, while acknowledging the need for the system, he opposes a method that sacrifices workers' fundamental rights — evidence that this current genuinely exists within the party. Such internal differences of view could spread into a rupture within the Democratic Party rather than remaining a mere partisan dispute.
Intra-Party Criticism and the Conflict Between Parties, Labor, and Civil Society
The criticism that the party is "hedging too quickly" reflects the view that simultaneously tabling two bills amounts to a failure of decisive leadership. Refusing to take a side on the labor exemption — whether in favor or against — and simply watching the outcome of the vote could undermine trust among voters and the labor community. The fact that such internal censure has emerged even within the party means managing defector votes will be no easy task during the bill's passage.
The opposition camp and labor groups view the exemption for high-earning and research workers as a de facto retreat in labor protections. Their logic is that once the labor exemption provision opens the door, the eligible job categories are likely to expand. Industry and regional economic organizations counter that without flexibility in workforce management in national strategic industries such as semiconductors, investment competitiveness cannot be preserved. Even among experts, some point out there is insufficient empirical evidence that allowing long working hours actually translates into research productivity.
Legislative Timeline and Outlook
The Democratic Party has officially set passage within this year as its goal. Once two-track review of the bills proceeds in the relevant National Assembly standing committee, a floor battle over the labor exemption provision appears inevitable. With clear differences of view between the ruling and opposition parties compounded by internal disagreement, considerable growing pains are expected before final legislation.
The most likely scenario is convergence on a scaled-down bill without the labor exemption. Given internal backlash and resistance from labor, the realistic point of agreement will likely be securing the achievement of establishing the special zone system itself while deferring the contentious provision to follow-up legislation. Even then, industry opposition is likely, and controversy over reviving the labor exemption will probably recur in next year's National Assembly. The lesson of this episode is that while two-track tabling can serve as a tool for vote consolidation in the short term, the price of dodging the core issue will ultimately come back as legislative delays and a decline in political trust.
