Ruling Party Leadership Visits Key Semiconductor Parts Manufacturer
Emphasizes Need for Flexible Working Environment Like China and Other Competitors
Kwon Young-se: "Company Representatives Say It Is a Matter of Survival"
The leadership of the People Power Party emphasized the importance of passing the Semiconductor Special Act, which includes an exception to the 52-hour workweek, stating on the 28th that "major countries are willing to engage in national competitions."
On the morning of the same day, Kwon Young-se, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, visited the manufacturing site of Miko, a small but strong semiconductor parts company in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. He told the company representatives and researchers, "As global hegemony competition accelerates, South Korea's semiconductor industry is facing difficulties," adding, "What is even more concerning is that China's semiconductor technology has already surpassed ours in some areas."
Regarding the Democratic Party's announcement the previous day to push the Semiconductor Special Act as a fast-track bill excluding the exception clause for the 52-hour workweek, he criticized it as "an act that ignores the characteristics of the semiconductor industry," and pressured, "A flexible working environment is precisely the opportunity for our semiconductor industry to make a leap forward."
Kim Sang-hoon, the policy chief of the People Power Party, also pointed out, "The part applying the 52-hour workweek exception, which was excluded from the bill passed to the fast track by the Democratic Party, can be considered the most signature part," adding, "The Democratic Party says it is difficult to accept because the two major labor unions oppose it."
He continued, "Competing countries apply exceptions for up to 70 hours per week. This is not about applying it to all workers in the industry, but about extending working hours limited to the research and development (R&D) sector with the consent of the parties involved. It is regrettable that even this part is not accepted," he emphasized.
Present at the site that day were Kwon Young-se, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, and Ko Dong-jin, a former president of Samsung Electronics and a member of the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee. It was the first time in ten days that the ruling party leadership visited a semiconductor industry site since visiting a vehicle semiconductor production company in Pangyo, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 19th.
The visit to the semiconductor company site that day is interpreted as an effort to refute the opposition's arguments, including Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and other opposition figures, who claimed "companies do not need exceptions to the 52-hour workweek" and "labor unions oppose it," together with on-site personnel.
The ruling party leadership is also expected to convey the necessity of the 52-hour workweek exception clause, as heard from semiconductor company officials that day, to the opposition and government at the second ruling-opposition-government national consultation meeting held that afternoon.
After the meeting, Chairman Kwon told reporters, "I deeply heard that having an exception to the 52-hour workweek to work intensively for a short period when necessary is related to the survival of companies."
He added, "It is necessary to ensure the exception to the 52-hour workweek is enforced even for two to three years," and said, "We must somehow prevent this from being thwarted by forces like the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which would cause our semiconductor companies to lose competitiveness and damage national competitiveness."
Chairman Kwon particularly stressed, "During the last ruling-opposition-government consultation, Lee Jae-myung said, 'After hearing from the industry, the 52-hour workweek exception is not that necessary,' but I never trusted that person’s words from the start," and emphasized, "Now that I have checked on-site, I deeply feel and confirm that this is not true."
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