South Korea yields on extended 69-hour working week after backlash from young workers

The government of South Korea has been forced to reconsider a proposal to raise the cap on weekly working hours to 69, due to widespread rejection by young people, who say the measure would prevent them from striking a work-life balance and could put their health at risk. According to The Korea Herald, the plan presented at the beginning of the month had been approved by the large South Korean business groups because it “offered a solution to the difficulties in meeting deadlines.”

The Ministry of Employment and Labor had announced on March 6 that it intended to raise the current ceiling of 52 weekly hours to allow employers to count overtime on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis, so that workers could manage their schedules based on their workload. But growing citizen discontent led President Yoon Suk-yeol to state that he considers a work week that exceeds 60 hours “excessive.” He also called for adjustments to “protect the rights and interests of less privileged workers,” as reported on Thursday by the presidential office.