Democratic Party: "People Power's 4.5-Day Workweek Introduction and 52-Hour Workweek Abolition Are Mere Sweet Talk"

"Issues Should Be Decided Through Labor-Management Dialogue and Agreement"
"The Idea of Government Control Is Absurd"

The Democratic Party of Korea criticized the People Power Party on the 14th for promoting the introduction of a 4.5-day workweek and the abolition of the 52-hour workweek as presidential election pledges, saying, "Does this make any sense?" and "People Power Party, do not mock the public with empty sweet talk."

Cho Seung-rae, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, said in a statement on the same day, "There is a fundamental problem with the approach advocated by the People Power Party."

Cho pointed out, "Working one extra hour a day from Monday to Thursday and leaving early on Friday is possible through labor-management agreement under the current Labor Standards Act," adding, "But how will the additional wages for overtime work be handled?"

He continued, "If the plan is to prevent employers from paying additional wages, this is a clear violation of workers' rights and a regressive idea," and he criticized, "The very notion that the government would control matters that should be decided through dialogue and agreement between labor and management is absurd."

Democratic Party presidential candidate and Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is speaking about the 'tariff diplomacy' achievements gained during his visit to the United States and his election campaign strategy at the 'Open House' event held at the election campaign office opened on the 13th in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and a Democratic Party presidential candidate, also criticized on Facebook that "the 4.5-day workweek promoted by the People Power Party is nothing but wordplay" and "a pathetic pledge that completely fails to read the times."

Governor Kim introduced Gyeonggi Province's pilot project of a "4.5-day workweek without wage cuts," saying, "Let's shed the stigma of being the country with the longest working hours and open the 'new normal of work' where work and life coexist. Let's move toward a proper 4.5-day workweek."