Choi Sang-mok: "Without Special Working Hours Exception, Semiconductor Special Act Becomes Ordinary Law"

The first meeting of the ruling and opposition parties' national policy consultation was held on the afternoon of the 20th at Sarangjae in the National Assembly, where Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is guiding Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. Photo by Yonhap News

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Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, emphasized on the 20th that the Semiconductor Special Act must include an exception clause for the 52-hour workweek, stating, "If this is not included, it is merely an ordinary Semiconductor Act, not a special one."

Acting President Choi attended the four-party meeting of the ruling and opposition parties and the government held at Sarangjae in the National Assembly that afternoon, saying, "The purpose of the special provision on working hours is to allow focused work on necessary tasks at necessary times."

He stressed the need for the 'three major livelihood measures,' citing the enactment of the Semiconductor Special Act as the foremost.

Acting President Choi said, "Advanced semiconductor personnel in major countries such as the United States and Japan are dedicating themselves to new technology development without restrictions on working hours," adding, "To make matters worse, the U.S. has announced tariffs on semiconductors. There is no more time to delay."

He further explained, "Under the current working hours system, concentrated work is difficult, causing research interruptions and making immediate responses to orders challenging."

Acting President Choi stated, "I believe a reasonable solution can be found based on safeguards such as protecting workers' health rights," and added, "Since the National Assembly already recognizes the necessity, I ask for a progressive discussion once again."

The first meeting of the Ruling and Opposition Parties' National Policy Council was held on the afternoon of the 20th at Sarangjae in the National Assembly, where participants are taking a commemorative photo. From the left: Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea; Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance; Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly; Kwon Young-se, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News.

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Acting President Choi then said that a full-scale response to the global advanced industry 'job war' is necessary.

He said, "The government is expanding essential artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure through private cooperation, but more comprehensive support such as the establishment of a strategic advanced industry fund is needed," adding, "The trade war initiated by the U.S. is ultimately a 'job war' to protect existing jobs and take overseas jobs."

He emphasized, "To turn global job competition into an opportunity and respond to the crisis of domestic population decline and regional extinction, we must provide unprecedented support to companies wishing to return domestically due to changes in the trade environment, companies concentrated in the metropolitan area, and potential foreign companies interested in investing in Korea."

In particular, Acting President Choi said, "It is difficult to survive in the global job competition with existing special zone systems, returnee companies, and local company relocation systems," and added, "We must completely reform the national land regulation and corporate attraction laws."

Next, he mentioned stabilizing the livelihood economy through supplementary budgets (supplementary budget).

Acting President Choi said, "The top priority of national administration is livelihood," and added, "Although discussions on additional fiscal input for livelihood will take place today, the government asks for the National Assembly's full support for livelihood recovery support bills directly related to the lives of the common people and the middle class."

He also said, "With the new school semester starting soon, I request the prompt legislation of the 'Sky Law,' which both ruling and opposition parties agree on for students' safety," and added, "I hope pension reform, which is directly related to the elderly's later life, will reach an agreement soon so that we can explain it to the people."

Finally, Acting President Choi said, "The people of the Republic of Korea have turned crises into opportunities and made leaps forward through industrialization that achieved the Miracle on the Han River, the gold collection campaign, and overcoming the IMF crisis," and added, "I hope today's national policy consultation will be a breakthrough to overcome the crisis and give hope to the people."

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