Yoon Seok-yeol "Will Flexibly Operate the 52-Hour Workweek"... Announces Pledge for Small and Medium Enterprises

Establishment of the Presidential Win-Win Committee
Support for Long-Term Low-Interest Financing, Rental of Experimental Equipment, etc.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is attending the 'Small and Medium Business Policy Vision Presentation' event held on the 14th at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul, while talking with Kim Ki-moon, the chairman of the federation. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Junyi Park and Hyunji Kwon] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, announced five pledges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including the flexible operation of the 52-hour workweek system.

On the 14th, Yoon attended the "SME Policy Vision Presentation" event hosted by the Korea Federation of SMEs, where he announced these pledges. The event was attended by business representatives, including Kim Ki-moon, chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs.

He pledged to operate the current 52-hour workweek system flexibly. The People Power Party's election campaign headquarters explained, "Based on worker agreement, the unit period for extended and flexible working hours will be expanded to a monthly basis or longer, creating an environment that can flexibly respond to fluctuations in workload while maintaining total working hours." Additionally, they plan to protect workers' health rights by specifying a minimum of 11 consecutive hours of rest per calendar day, rather than per working day.

At the event, Yoon also announced plans to establish a "Win-Win Committee" directly under the president to address the polarization between large corporations and SMEs. He said, "I will ensure that the committee truly reflects the practical voices of small business owners in policy," and added, "The private sector chairperson of the Win-Win Committee will be someone representing the SME sector."

He also pledged to expand research and development investments supporting SMEs. The plan includes increasing problem-solving and value-creating R&D investments, as well as expanding tax, financial, consulting, and technical support to strengthen SMEs' ESG (environmental, social, and governance) management and carbon neutrality capabilities.

Furthermore, he announced the introduction of a "special low-interest long-term financing support system" for SMEs entering new industries. He also promised to establish a "leasing agency" that rents out expensive experimental equipment to SMEs.

Yoon emphasized, "Revitalizing SMEs is the way to revive our economy and save jobs," and added, "I will actively support SMEs so that they can lead innovation in our economy."

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