Kim Geun-sik: "Ignorant Cho Kuk, Stop Playing the SNS Attention-Seeker Game and Work at Least 52 Hours a Week"

Professor Kim Geun-sik, Gyeongnam National University [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Professor Kim Geunsik of Gyeongnam University sharply criticized former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who has been continuously voicing criticism against former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, "You are truly ignorant. Stop your SNS attention-seeking games and at least work the 52-hour workweek."

On the 20th, Professor Kim posted on his Facebook, "Professor Cho Kuk, who is a defendant on trial and receives a salary without attending classes or conducting research, should stop harming former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol," sharply criticizing him.

He stated, "The argument to point out the side effects of the 52-hour workweek and to apply it flexibly according to the characteristics of each industry and sector has been raised early on."

He continued, "Just like the minimum wage increase, the government’s uniform enforcement of the 52-hour workweek without considering the specificities of each industry has actually led to job reductions and difficulties for small and medium-sized enterprises, which is well known on the ground."

Furthermore, he argued, "Legislation for converting non-regular workers to regular workers after two years, protection laws for part-time lecturers who receive four major social insurances and salaries during vacations have actually worsened existing non-regular jobs and even threatened the livelihoods of pure peddler part-time lecturers," adding, "The lease protection law, pushed through with mere theoretical arguments for tenant protection, is instead driving tenants out of the jeonse market."

He also criticized, "Yoon Seok-yeol’s '120-hour workweek' was meant to convey the difficulties of startup companies using game development as an example, but to distort it as if he is advocating a 120-hour workweek for all companies and factories is either too malicious or simply too ignorant, Cho Kuk."

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges of school admission corruption involving his children, is appearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong on the 25th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Professor Kim went on, "Cho Kuk, who is also a professor, seems unaware that professors often stay up all night for a week to meet paper deadlines," and added, "Therefore, Cho Kuk does not understand that enforcing a 52-hour workweek on the professor profession is unrealistic."

Earlier, on the 19th, former Prosecutor General Yoon criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s 52-hour workweek policy in an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper, saying, "When I met startup youths, they pleaded for exceptions to the 52-hour workweek so that workers can negotiate or choose conditions," and added, "To develop a single game, you need to work intensely not just 52 hours a week but even 120 hours a week, and then be able to rest freely afterward."

In response, former Minister Cho Kuk tweeted, "120 hours ÷ 5 (5-day workweek) = 24 hours of work per day," pointing out, "This is a proposal opening the 'horizon' of mass overwork deaths."

He also shared a cartoon with the phrase, "You have to work 24 hours straight from Monday to Friday to reach 120 hours. If you really want to do something big, please think before you speak," in another post.

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