Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon delivers a work report at a plenary session of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon delivers a work report at a plenary session of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon said Wednesday that the government has not yet decided anything regarding a possible relaxation of the 52-hour workweek rule for the Honam semiconductor mega special zone.

Kim made the remarks at a plenary session of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee, where People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won asked whether the government's position was to exempt researchers in the mega special zone from the 52-hour limit. Kim said he would "consider solutions that protect workers and improve corporate productivity at the same time."

Na also raised the need to establish clearer standards for what constitutes a "subject of industrial action" under the Yellow Envelope Act — the revised Trade Union Act — noting that President Lee Jae Myung had said the law was ambiguous and called for changes to its subordinate regulations. Asked whether the ministry had decided to draft such regulations, Kim said he had previously reported that the ministry would address the issue through operational guidelines, and that the president had issued a further directive on the matter at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

Kim said the ministry was reviewing all available options — including presidential decrees and ministerial rules — to resolve the ambiguity. He said the ministry had initially believed operational guidelines would be sufficient, but that the president had directed it to pursue more concrete institutionalization instead.

Na said the Yellow Envelope Act itself was built on ambiguous provisions and that the definition of who qualifies as an employer also needed to be clarified. She warned that attempting to address those issues through subordinate regulations without explicit statutory delegation could invite constitutional challenges.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Tae-seon said he hoped the mega special zone would revitalize regional economies and create quality jobs for workers. Kim Young-hoon said there was no disagreement that the mega special zone must succeed.

Kim also said the ministry would seek solutions that both protect workers and raise corporate productivity, adding that it would communicate with labor groups and businesses alike to understand their needs and ultimately contribute to the country's development.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com