Democratic Party: "Yoon, Is Over 60 Hours a Week Too Much? ... Expressed Willingness for Ultra-Long Working Hours"

President Yoon's Supplementary Directive Is a Disconnected Rhetoric
Opposition: "Labor Hour Reform Plan Will Not Pass the National Assembly"

The Democratic Party of Korea criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 16th for his directive to revise the 69-hour workweek system to 60 hours, calling it a "disconnected rhetoric." They also condemned President Yoon's remark that "more than 60 hours is excessive," stating that it "deceives the public and expresses an intention to move toward a society of excessively long working hours."

Democratic Party lawmakers from the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee said in a statement that day, "When the Ministry of Employment and Labor confidently announced the amendment to the Labor Standards Act, claiming to expand workers' choice over working hours, the majority of the public criticized it as a law promoting death from overwork by forcing long working hours. In response, President Yoon hastily issued a self-denying answer."

This criticism targets President Yoon's instruction on the same day to reconsider the government's plan, announced on the 6th, to amend the law to allow a 69-hour workweek, stating that "even with extended work, more than 60 hours per week is excessive."

They pointed out, "It is very regrettable whether President Yoon does not understand why the public is angry and critical, or if he knows but pretends not to. The reason the public is angry about this reform plan is that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration does not care about working laborers at all and only caters to the tastes of companies that assign work."

President Yoon Suk-yeol Photo by Yonhap News

The Democratic Party also criticized the way President Yoon reversed the labor ministry's policy. They said, "During his presidential campaign, President Yoon Suk-yeol called for a 120-hour workweek. Without apologizing or reflecting on the wrong direction of the working hours reform he pledged and made a national agenda, he instructed the Ministry of Employment and Labor to revise the plan by saying 'more than 60 hours per week is excessive.' This is a typical case of shifting responsibility to frontline officials and disconnected rhetoric."

Regarding the 60-hour limit, they stated, "The current Labor Standards Act stipulates that the working hours per week cannot exceed 40 hours, and with mutual agreement, an additional 12 hours per week can be extended. If President Yoon is aware of the current law and mentions a 60-hour cap, which is 8 hours more than the current 52-hour limit, it means he intends to extend working hours, which angers and draws criticism from the public. If he knowingly provides such a guideline while pretending not to know, it deceives the public and expresses a will to move toward a society of excessively long working hours."

Democratic Party Environment and Labor Committee members declared, "We will prevent the working hours reform plan promoted by President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People Power Party, which drives our precious Korean workers to death from overwork due to long working hours, from passing the National Assembly." They added, "The Democratic Party will expand the reduction of working hours started under the previous Moon Jae-in administration and promote institutional improvements such as restricting comprehensive wage contracts that do not properly pay overtime allowances."

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