Government to Quickly Improve 'Jobssal Regulation'... Faster Deployment of Foreign Workers in Food Hygiene Industry

Nationwide Relaxation of Conditions for Free Lease of Unused Closed Schools
Improvement of Regulations on Restrictions for Main Materials Used in Camping Facilities
Small Business Owners Allowed to Attach Advertisements on Vehicles and Rental Cars

The government will improve 'minor regulations' that are not large in scale but have significant practical effects to revitalize corporate and private sector economies. It plans to reduce unnecessary waiting periods for foreign workers employed in the food hygiene sector and relax the conditions for free leasing to increase the utilization of abandoned school buildings. The proportion of equipment that had to be shut down to measure greenhouse gas reduction efficiency at semiconductor plants will be reduced, and crushed waste batteries will be allowed to be recycled.

On the 21st, the government finalized and announced the 'Measures to Resolve Regulatory Inconveniences in Corporate Sites' at the 49th Ministerial Meeting on National Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

Employees working at a restaurant in downtown Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The Office for Government Policy Coordination decided to improve regulations to boost corporate and livelihood economic vitality and has held relay meetings since April with various economic organizations such as the Korean Foreign Chambers of Commerce, the Venture Association, and the Startup Forum. Through these, regulations causing on-site inconveniences were identified. They also met directly with related companies to hear vivid on-site difficulties. Subsequently, by referring to major advanced countries' cases, these improvement measures were prepared.

The improvement plan includes a total of 13 tasks: seven in corporate activity fields such as shortening health examination procedures for foreign workers in the food hygiene sector; four in environmental fields such as securing rare metals stably through recycling crushed waste batteries; and two in safety fields such as introducing a pre-consultation system for process safety management at semiconductor factories. An official from the Office for Government Policy Coordination explained, "These are issues that can be resolved quickly by revising enforcement rules or subordinate laws."

Jung Byung-gyu, the Regulatory Innovation Planning Officer at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said, "We plan to promptly implement the regulatory improvement tasks included in this plan to support resolving on-site inconveniences as soon as possible," adding, "We will continue to regularly collect field opinions and actively improve regulations while listening to even small opinions from small-scale industries."

Minimizing Semiconductor Equipment Operation Delays... Securing Rare Metals by Utilizing Waste Batteries

In the corporate activity sector, the period for foreign workers in the food hygiene industry to be deployed on-site will be shortened. Previously, foreign workers had to undergo a legal health examination after obtaining a foreign registration card to work in the food hygiene sector, causing delays in on-site deployment after arrival. Going forward, health examinations can also be conducted with a passport. This will enable rapid deployment of personnel to labor-short sectors such as restaurants and food factories.

Additionally, conditions for free leasing of abandoned schools will be relaxed to improve regional settlement environments. This is to address the increasing number of abandoned schools due to declining school-age populations and difficulties in utilization in areas with low accessibility. From now on, free leasing will be allowed immediately after school closure if used directly by the state or local governments. It will also be permitted for use as facilities for returning farmers and villagers, as well as cultural and welfare facilities.

The existing regulation limiting camping facility main materials to tents has also been improved to allow various materials such as plastic and wood. Household scales weighing 3 kg or less can be sold without type approval, and small merchants and rental car operators will be allowed to attach advertisements to vehicles. The plan also includes easing strict standards for equipment used in survival game centers compared to other countries.

In the environmental sector, regulatory improvements will be made to minimize the operation of semiconductor plant equipment for measuring greenhouse gas reduction efficiency. Previously, to recognize the reduction amount of greenhouse gas reduction equipment, efficiency had to be measured annually on 10% of the total equipment. This required stopping equipment operation during measurement, imposing a heavy burden on companies. Going forward, for new equipment, measurements will be conducted at 10% for the first two years and 5% from the third year onward, relaxing the standards.

Planning Officer Jung explained, "Previously, a sample survey method was used where measuring 10% of the equipment and meeting the standard meant recognition for 100%," adding, "The improvement is that the sample measurement unit can now be only 5%." He further noted, "(The 5% rate) is a sample ratio widely used internationally, including in the United States."

Also, crushed waste batteries will be recycled to stably secure rare metals. Batteries included in electric vehicles contain various rare metals such as lithium and cobalt, but crushed waste batteries, known as black powder, were subject to waste regulations, making recycling difficult. Going forward, black powder meeting certain standards will be recognized as raw material products and excluded from waste regulations.

In the safety sector, a pre-consultation system for factory safety management at semiconductor plants will be introduced. Since process safety management reviews are mandatory when introducing new equipment, there was a time lag before equipment operation. Going forward, a pre-consultation system will be introduced before equipment installation, and a dedicated staff designation system at the Major Industrial Accident Prevention Centers will be implemented for prompt support. This will reduce the time required for permits before operating new equipment.