Minister Lim Hye-sook of the Ministry of Science and ICT Visits Site to Hear Opinions on the 52-Hour Workweek System

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] On the 9th, Minister Lim Hye-sook of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited SS&C, a venture company in the information security field, to check the implementation status of the 52-hour workweek system on site and to listen to the opinions of startups and related associations.

This on-site visit was arranged to hear the voices of the ICT venture and startup industry regarding the implementation of the 52-hour workweek system, following the recent statement by the Innovative Venture Organizations Council requesting a postponement of the 52-hour workweek system.

At the event, explanations about the 52-hour workweek system and flexible working hours were provided, along with an overview of the system improvements related to the 52-hour workweek that the Ministry of Science and ICT has promoted so far. Since the implementation of the 52-hour workweek system in July 2018, the Ministry has prepared contract guidelines for security monitoring projects to help the ICT industry adapt to the 52-hour workweek, revised standards (notices) on software project management and supervision to improve the public software ordering system, and supported the early establishment of the 52-hour workweek in the software sector through the ‘Supplementary Measures for Reducing Working Hours in the Software Field.’ The Ministry also coordinated with the Ministry of Employment and Labor to include ICT emergency incident response as a reason for special extended work approval and clarified the scope of discretionary work applicable in the ICT sector to facilitate easier use by companies.

Following this, an introduction to the working conditions at SS&C was given, along with a presentation of the flexible work application case of Storelink, an ICT startup in its second year. Through a Q&A session with five ICT venture and startup companies and related organizations, the understanding of companies regarding the 52-hour workweek system was enhanced, and difficulties arising from the system’s implementation were heard.

Minister Lim Hye-sook of the Ministry of Science and ICT stated, “The annual working hours in our country are about 300 hours longer than the OECD average, making it necessary to improve the long working hours culture to restore work-life balance. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in the ICT industry field and check whether there are any difficulties in the process of implementing the system.”

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