Lee Yong-woo "Samsung Electronics Semiconductor R&D Workers 430,000 Hours Overtime in 2 Years"

Samsung Electronics' semiconductor research and development (R&D) personnel have worked over 430,000 hours of extended overtime in two years.

According to data analyzed by Lee Yong-woo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, received from the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 30th, Samsung Electronics applied for and received approval for a total of 22 special extended overtime requests for semiconductor R&D purposes from 2003 to 2024 (up to the end of October).

Under this system, in 2023 (7 cases), special extended overtime was conducted for 1,358 people (including duplicates) totaling 195,552 hours, and in 2024 (15 cases), for 1,658 people (including duplicates) totaling 238,752 hours.

Among other semiconductor companies, LX Semicon, which produces non-memory semiconductors, had one special extended overtime approval, while SK Hynix had no special extended overtime.

Special extended overtime is a system that allows extended work hours beyond the legal limit in unavoidable circumstances, subject to the worker's consent and approval from the Minister of Employment and Labor.