Yongin Mayor Lee Sangil: "Semiconductor Special Act Ignores Industry Demands"

"Exemption from 52-Hour Workweek for R&D Omitted...
Strengthening Competitiveness Will Be Difficult"

Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province, has expressed the view that the "Special Act on Strengthening and Supporting the Competitiveness of the Semiconductor Industry" (Semiconductor Special Act), currently being promoted by the National Assembly, will weaken the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry.

Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin. Mayor Lee expressed concerns that the exclusion of the 'exemption from the 52-hour workweek' provision during the passage of the Semiconductor Special Act through the National Assembly's standing committee could weaken the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry. Provided by Yongin City

On December 10, Mayor Lee issued a statement regarding the Semiconductor Special Act, which passed the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee, stating, "The bill remains insufficient for advancing the semiconductor industry, which is directly linked to the nation's future competitiveness."

Mayor Lee specifically pointed out, "The biggest problem is that the bill ignores the 'exemption from the 52-hour workweek' for research and development, which has been a core issue desperately requested by semiconductor-related companies for years."

It is interpreted that Mayor Lee, as the head of a local government, issued a separate statement on the National Assembly bill out of concern that large-scale semiconductor investments in the Yongin area could be discouraged. In Yongin, SK Hynix has planned investments of 600 trillion won, Samsung Electronics 380 trillion won, and semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment companies 3.4 trillion won, bringing the total investment plans close to 1,000 trillion won.

Mayor Lee said, "Given the nature of research and development environments in semiconductors, which require a high degree of concentration, there must be a legal framework that allows for flexible work arrangements so that talent can fully focus on their work, rather than being constrained by the rigidity of the 52-hour workweek." He added, "The Semiconductor Special Act is disappointing because it leaves out the most important element."

He argued, "Major countries around the world are making every effort to support companies developing advanced semiconductor technologies," and "With the current version of the bill that passed the committee, it will be difficult to maintain a significant technological lead and strengthen competitiveness in semiconductors."

Mayor Lee stated, "I hope that when the bill is processed at the National Assembly plenary session, it will definitely include an exemption from the 52-hour workweek for research and development."

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