Overtime, Hospital, Fainting... Watching the Satirical YouTube Video on '69-Hour Workweek'

Dealing with the Reality of Not Being Able to Take Long Vacations
"Strong Sense of Rights Among MZ Generation"
Satirizing Remarks by Lee Jeong-sik

Amid the cold reactions to the government's proposal to revise working hours to a maximum of 69 hours per week, a satirical video imagining the scenario if the revised working hours were implemented has become a hot topic online, garnering strong responses from netizens.

On the 24th, the YouTube channel 'Neodeolteu' uploaded a video titled 'Overtime, Overtime, Overtime, Overtime, Overtime, Hospital, Fainting.' The 5-minute and 29-second video depicts situations that could arise if the 69-hour workweek reform is introduced in small and medium-sized enterprises.

YouTube channel 'Neodeolt' uploaded a video titled 'Overtime, Overtime, Overtime, Overtime, Hospital, Fainting' on the 24th./YouTube capture

The video features three characters: a boss, a deputy manager, and a new employee. The boss introduces the system as "a very helpful policy. When there is a lot of work, you work hard, and when there isn't, you can rest?a very flexible and adaptable 69-hour workweek." The deputy manager quietly mutters, "Here it comes."

When the first week of the 69-hour workweek arrives, the new employee asks the deputy manager, who is exhausted on the rooftop, "(The 69-hour workweek) isn't it a good thing? If you keep working overtime, you can get paid more, right?"

The deputy manager explains, "Our company uses a comprehensive wage system. In theory, it's possible, but since we're a small business, it doesn't apply." He clarifies that even with overtime, they do not receive extra pay. The comprehensive wage system is a method where overtime, night, and holiday work allowances are included in the monthly salary at the time of contract signing, which has been criticized for being exploited as 'free labor.'

The new employee then mentions the government's touted advantage of the working hours reform, "But if we work 69 hours one week and then take the whole next week off, wouldn't that be beneficial for us?" referring to the 'long vacation' aspect.

The deputy manager replies, "That might be possible in a large company, but since we're a small business, it doesn't work. There's no one else to do the work." He questions, "If I take annual leave, can Sanghyeop (the new employee) do my tasks?" The new employee responds, "That would be difficult."

When the new employee asks again, "Can't we all rest together when there's no work?" the deputy manager laments, "The problem is, there are no days without work at the company. We can't even take annual leave now."

The new employee protests, "You make us work overtime like that but don't pay us or give us vacations. What do you expect us to do?" The deputy manager sighs and says, "The MZ generation has a strong sense of rights, so they say, 'Boss, come out,' and expect to get what they want on their own."

The deputy manager's remark mocks Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik's comment on the 6th, when he explained the working hours reform, saying, "These days, the MZ generation says things like 'Vice Chairman, come out,' 'Chairman, come out,' and questions the basis for performance bonuses, showing a very strong sense of rights."

Eventually, in the sixth week of the 69-hour workweek, the exhausted deputy manager declares to the boss, "I will take a vacation next week." He adds, "No matter how much you say it's a 69-hour workweek, forcing 69 hours every week is a violation of the Labor Standards Act," and leaves the company.

After a week of vacation, a new employee is sitting in the deputy manager's seat when he returns. Seeing the deputy manager, the boss says, "Oh, you're back already? Since you seemed to want a long break, I found a new friend," but this was a dream. Back in reality, the deputy manager tells the new employee, who asks for coffee, "I'll buy it, so don't quit," and the video ends.

Netizens who watched the video responded with comments such as, "Even with satire like this, I can't laugh," and "What kind of company is busy one week and not busy the next? Such a company would fail," expressing empathy. As of 3:30 p.m. on the 27th, the video had recorded 1.67 million views and over 7,300 comments.