Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: South Korea is mulling increasing its weekly 52-hour week to 69 hours per week, regarding which President Yoon Suk Yeol has asked concerned officials to seek the young generation’s input prior to making any final decision, local media reported on Tuesday.
Yoon Suk Yeol’s instructions came following a proposal, recently submitted by the country’s Labor Ministry, to reform the current system to allow firms to raise the maximum work hours per week to 69, reported the country’s Yonhap News Agency.
MZ generation’s opinions on working hours to be considered
Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for press affairs, quoted the South Korean President as saying that the areas that need to be fixed in the bill’s details and in communicating with the public by listening carefully to the numerous opinions of workers, and especially the opinions of the MZ generation (a Korean term for millennials and Generation Z), which were expressed during the legislative preview period.
However, afterward, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaking to reporters in Seoul said that Yoon’s instruction was not intended to completely overhaul the proposed workweek system.
Despite a reporter’s query, Han did not provide additional details about the plan and stated that the government will implement regulations to ensure timely payments and salaries to workers.
According to the news agency, the proposed measure is likely to be sent to parliament for final approval in June or July of the current year.
