"Postpone Implementation of 52-Hour Workweek"... Seoul Chamber of Commerce Proposes Solutions for Small Business Difficulties

Seoul Economic Committee Holds Meeting with Kim Young-shin, Head of Seoul Small and Medium Business Administration

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry has requested institutional improvements such as differentiated application of the minimum wage and postponement of the implementation of the 52-hour workweek system for small and medium-sized merchants.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced that on the 1st, it held the '73rd Seoul Economic Committee' at the Chamber of Commerce building on Sejong-daero, inviting Kim Young-shin, head of the Seoul Regional Small and Medium Venture Business Administration, to convey these opinions. This event was the first Seoul Economic Committee meeting held after Heo Beom-mu was inaugurated as the new chairman of the Seoul Economic Committee.

Attendees voiced difficulties faced by small and medium-sized merchants in the field, including ▲conditional differentiated application of the minimum wage ▲postponement of the implementation of the 52-hour workweek system.

Kim Heung-won, chairman of the Gangbuk-gu Chamber of Commerce, stated, "Currently, the minimum wage is applied uniformly regardless of employees' nationality, region, or industry, increasing labor costs for small businesses," and argued, "It is necessary to restructure the minimum wage determination system with differentiated application according to circumstances."

Following this, Lee Hong-won, chairman of the Gangdong-gu Chamber of Commerce, said, "Due to COVID-19, the management difficulties of small and medium-sized merchants are intensifying," and requested, "Please consider postponing the implementation of the 52-hour workweek system for small and medium-sized merchants with fewer than 50 employees."

The Seoul Economic Committee, composed of chairpersons of 25 chambers of commerce in Seoul, was launched in December 2003 to support the improvement of the business environment for small and medium-sized merchants in the Seoul area. This year, new chairpersons from eight chambers of commerce, including Gangnam-gu, Gwangjin-gu, and Dongjak-gu, were elected and are newly serving as members of the Seoul Economic Committee.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.