Opposition Semiconductor Committee: "Special Semiconductor Bill and 52-Hour Workweek Exception Should Be Handled Separately"

"Special Semiconductor Bill Without Contentious Issues Should Be Passed First"

The People Power Party's Special Committee on Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advanced Industries has stated that the special semiconductor bill, which was designated as a fast-track item under the initiative of the Democratic Party of Korea, and the exception clause for the 52-hour workweek should be handled separately.

Yang Hyangja, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party and chair of the special committee, said at the committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 30th, "The current situation is that we are proposing to put the non-controversial parts on the fast track and process them after bipartisan agreement, excluding the contentious issues." She added, "The issue of the 52-hour workweek has been separately proposed by Assemblywoman Kim Sohee of the People Power Party, and I believe that part should be handled independently."

Yonhap News Agency

The ruling and opposition parties have reached a consensus on the special semiconductor bill itself, but have remained at odds over whether to include the exception clause for the 52-hour workweek. As a result, the Democratic Party of Korea designated the special semiconductor bill without the 52-hour exception clause as a fast-track item in April, and it has since been automatically referred to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The Democratic Party plans to process it within November.

Ko Dongjin, another member of the special committee from the People Power Party, also emphasized, "At Nvidia, people work even on Saturdays and Sundays. Do you think companies like DeepSeek in China could have produced their results under a 52-hour workweek?" He continued, "We are proposing an exception to the 52-hour workweek for the top 10 percent of outstanding developers, provided that there is individual consent, salary is maintained, and various institutional measures are in place to monitor health."

Another committee member, Ahn Kihyun, Executive Director of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, said, "The industry's position is that the issue of the 52-hour workweek should be discussed and passed separately," urging, "At the very least, please pass the rest of the special bill, excluding the 52-hour provision, first in the National Assembly."