Yoon on the 52-Hour Workweek Reform Proposal: "Not Yet an Official Government Position" (Comprehensive)

Senior Official: "Ministry of Employment Announcement Matches National Task Implementation Plan... Not Final Yet"
Procedures Remain to Hear Opinions of Labor Market Stakeholders

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Seok-yeol stated on the 24th regarding the proposal to reform the 52-hour workweek system, "It has not yet been announced as the government's official position." The briefing on the 52-hour workweek system held by the Ministry of Employment and Labor the previous day was at the level of previously announced national tasks, indicating that it is necessary to listen to opinions from various sectors and prepare detailed plans going forward.

President Yoon said on his way to the Yongsan Presidential Office that day, "I hadn't received the report yesterday, but I saw it in the media this morning and checked," clarifying his stance.

He added, "It was not announced by the Ministry of Labor, but Deputy Prime Minister Choo Kyung-ho probably asked the Ministry of Labor to review labor market flexibility by consulting with private research groups or similar experts."

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik held a briefing on the 'Direction for Labor Market Reform' at the Sejong Government Complex the previous day, announcing reform plans including ▲ improvement of the working hours system involving the reorganization of extended work hour management units ▲ and reform of the wage system including disclosure of job-specific wage information.

Minister Lee pointed out, "Improving the working hours system and wage system, which are core elements of the labor market and affect the lives of the majority of the people, is a long-standing and ongoing task. Although the maximum weekly working hours were sharply reduced from 68 hours to 52 hours, the basic system method has been maintained as is, failing to respond to the diverse demands in the field."

The reorganization of the extended work hour unit announced by Minister Lee the previous day maintains the basic framework of the 52-hour workweek system but increases the extended work hour unit, currently limited to one week (12 hours), to four weeks (48 hours), aiming to flexibly respond to the rapidly changing labor environment.

The background behind President Yoon stating that the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s announcement the previous day is not yet the government's official position is interpreted as meaning that procedures such as the 'private research group' reflecting the views of labor market stakeholders remain. The Ministry of Labor plans to launch the 'Future Labor Market Research Group,' composed of experts, next month and present more concrete policy and legislative tasks through four months of discussions.

A senior official from the Presidential Office explained, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor’s briefing the previous day was merely a 'blueprint' similar to the implementation plan of national tasks. Therefore, it is not the 'final labor reform plan,' but some media outlets reported certain cases as if it were the final direction. Since a reporter asked about the 'final reform plan' this morning, President Yoon judged and responded that 'it is not yet the government's official position.'"

The official added, "Opinions from the private sector, including business, labor, and academia, will be heard, and the final plan including legislation will be prepared. The idea of changing the extended work hour unit of the 52-hour workweek system from a weekly to a monthly basis is also not yet finalized."

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