Yoon Orders Review of 69-Hour Workweek... "Listen to MZ Generation's Opinions" (Update)

Yoon Orders 'Public Communication' on Working Hours Reform Plan
Opposition Growing Mainly Among MZ Generation Labor Unions

President Yoon Suk-yeol has instructed a review of the working hours system reform plan, which centers on a maximum of 69 working hours per week. This appears to be a request for supplementation as concerns about the government's proposed reform have been raised mainly by the MZ generation (born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s).

On the 14th, President Yoon instructed, "Carefully listen to the diverse opinions of workers expressed during the legislative notice period, especially those of the MZ generation, and review points for improvement regarding the bill's content and communication with the public," Kim Eun-hye, the chief spokesperson, said in a written briefing.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 6th that the government had finalized a reform plan allowing working hours to extend up to a maximum of 69 hours per week when there is a heavy workload, instead of the current system limiting working hours to 52 hours per week, and that it would open the plan for legislative notice until the 17th of next month.

The government views the current 52-hour workweek system, which limits extended working hours in 12-hour units per week, as failing to reflect the demands of labor and management and making flexible responses difficult when work is concentrated. Therefore, it proposed calculating the total working hours on a monthly basis (52 hours × 4.345 weeks) to allow concentrated work during specific weeks.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the time, the government explained, "The intention is to reflect the opinions of the MZ generation so that they can work intensively when there is a lot of work and take long vacations when there is leisure."

However, the Saerogochim Workers' Council, a gathering of the 'MZ unions,' publicly opposed the government's reform plan on the 9th, stating that it "goes against the efforts of the international community and the historical development process that have improved working conditions."

Saerogochim also pointed out, "Despite South Korea having relatively many public holidays, the reason why the average working hours are longer compared to major advanced countries is that the upper limit on extended working hours is high and extended working hours frequently occur in industrial sites," adding, "The intended stabilization of the 52-hour workweek system has not been achieved."

Earlier, a survey conducted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor at the end of last year targeting 700 young people aged 15 to 34 showed that the desired weekly working hours among youth was only 42.28 hours.

However, as criticism of the reform plan spread, it is interpreted that President Yoon has instructed an additional review.

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