DPK leader says four-day workweek is global trend
Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday his party will never cooperate with the government’s push to reform the 52-hour workweek system, stressing that a four-day workweek is a global trend.
“The presidential office 안전 has called for more flexibility in the 52-hour workweek system, and the ruling party has been seeking to amend the law,” Lee said at a meeting of the party’s leadership. “The Democratic Party of Korea will never cooperate in revising such a law that is for the worse.”
Stressing that the four-day workweek is an “unavoidable global trend,” Lee said the “age of long hours of labor” is no longer viable.
Lee’s remark comes after Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, said his party will “push for law amendments to increase flexibility in the 52-hour workweek system” earlier this week.
The Yoon Suk Yeol government has been seeking to bring more flexibility into the weekly work hours system introduced in 2018, under which the cap is 52 hours per week.
The government had proposed a reform measure in March last year, allowing the weekly cap to be raised to 69 hours, but later withdraw it after drawing strong backlash from younger workers that it could force them to overwork