In South Korea, the extension of working hours beyond the ceiling of 52 hours per week is once again debated

Headquarters of Samsung Electronics, in Seoul, July 31, 2024. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP In South Korea, everything is good to relaunch the debate on working hours. The latest pretext to date, the poor results of the flagship of local industry, Samsung Electronics, and the threats of customs taxes from the American president-elect, Donald Trump. Executives from Samsung Electronics went to the National Assembly on Tuesday, December 24 to meet with the Democratic Party (opposition, but majority) to request the inclusion of an “exception clause to 52 hours per week” in the special bill on semiconductors, currently under discussion. On November 28, Kim Jung-hoe, vice president of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, called for “expanding working hour choices for workers and businesses.” , as in the United States and Japan, in order to strengthen their competitiveness.” Read later These requests are supported by the Minister of Labor, the very conservative and very liberal Kim Moon-soo. The special bill on semiconductors includes a measure exempting white-collar workers, among others in the field of research and development (R&D), from the legal 52 hours per week. But it is insufficient for Samsung Electronics, which estimates that it only concerns 5% of its 125,000 employees, hence the group’s approach on Christmas Eve. You have 73.53% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.



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