Lee Jae Myung, leader of South Korea’s Democratic Party, presided over a policy debate on the Semiconductor Special Act on Monday.
The Democratic Party held a policy debate titled “A Happy and Just Republic of Korea: How Should We Handle the Exclusion of Working Hours Application in the Semiconductor Special Act?” at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at the National Assembly. Lee chaired the debate, which saw four participants argue for and four against the exclusion.
Lee collected opinions from both sides and soon consolidated the party’s consensus.
The Democratic Party, which holds a key role in the negotiations, intends to process the bill within February.
Jin Sung Joon, the party’s chief policymaker, stated on his Facebook page, “The current Labor Standards Act stipulates that if unavoidable due to the nature of work such as research and development, or the circumstances of businesses or workers, exceptions to the 52-hour workweek regulation can be applied.” He continued, “The Democratic Party believes these exception provisions are sufficient.”
He further stated, “Nevertheless, if there are real-world difficulties in applying these exceptions in the industrial field, we are willing to modify and supplement the current system.” He argued that since working-hour exceptions require fact-finding and labor-management agreements, which take time, it would be reasonable to pass the agreed-upon provisions, such as semiconductor industry support, and then continue discussions on the working-hour exception separately.
The People Power Party also agrees on the urgency of passing the Semiconductor Special Act, increasing the likelihood that discussions between the ruling and opposition parties will accelerate.
Kim Dae Sik, the senior spokesperson of the People Power Party, said, “The Semiconductor Support Special Act is not merely an industrial support measure but an essential law to safeguard the nation’s future,” and urged cooperation in passing the bill.