On the 10th, it was confirmed that the draft speech of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, for the representative speech of the negotiating group included content about the establishment of a 'social body' for discussions on exceptions to the 52-hour workweek in the research and development (R&D) sector (White Collar Exemption). However, it is reported that Lee removed this part from the final manuscript after accepting the opinions of some lawmakers. This is because it was judged that there was no need to involve the ruling party in discussions related to working hours.
◇'No need to get involved with the ruling party' led to the removal of speech document
According to ChosunBiz's coverage on the 11th, lawmakers belonging to the party leadership received a prior shared draft of Lee's speech. Some lawmakers who saw the draft suggested deleting the content about creating a social discussion body related to semiconductors. This is because sufficient opinions from the labor and industrial sectors have already been gathered in the policy debates (discussions) led by the Democratic Party, and there is no need to discuss it with the ruling party.
A lawmaker who requested anonymity stated in a phone call, "I believe that labor and industry sectors can reach a sufficient consensus without creating a social discussion body," adding, "There is no need to provide material that could lead to a 'failure to reach an agreement' by unnecessarily expanding the discussion." Lee reportedly said after hearing this suggestion, "There is some merit to that," and accepted the exclusion of the 'social discussion body.'
A senior Democratic Party lawmaker also noted, "Since Lee and a majority in the business community agree to promote flexibility in labor hours based on the premise of maintaining total working hours, I believe a consensus has already been formed." On the other hand, some in the ruling party and the business community have not clearly expressed their position on extending total working hours.
He stated, "In this situation, if we create a discussion body that includes both ruling and opposition parties, it is highly likely that the People Power Party will not allow major industrial-related legislation to pass, citing 'White Collar Exemption' as a condition," adding, "There is no need for the Democratic Party to get unnecessarily involved in this."
◇Suddenly proposing a '4-day work week' amidst criticism of 'right-wing moves'… "Doesn't make sense"
Rather, in his speech as a representative of the negotiating group, Lee proposed the 'reduction of total working hours.' He said, "The era of competing by quantity is over. It is difficult to survive in intense international competition through extension of working hours and labor exploitation," adding, "To move toward a society of creativity and autonomy in advanced technology, we need to reduce working hours and transition through a '4.5-day work week' to a '4-day work week nation.'
He then stated, "In South Korea, the 52-hour work week means that if you multiply 54 weeks, it's 2,800 hours a year," and asked, "Isn't the average working hours in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) around 1,700 hours? We're not suggesting to work more than 3,000 hours, are we?" According to Lee's proposal, total working hours will decrease. Regardless of flexible working systems, further social discussions are still necessary.
A party official stated that this move is seen as a response to intensified internal criticism regarding the 'right-wing' direction. Lee has been taking actions that contrast with progressive policies, such as repealing the financial investment income tax, delaying taxation on virtual assets, and promoting flexibility of working hours. There are even terms describing it as 'identity erosion.' It is said that he included 'reduction of working hours' in the speech to address this.
In response, both the ruling party and opposition criticized, saying, "This doesn't make sense." A Democratic Party official remarked, "While we expressed a positive stance on the exception clause for the 52-hour work week during the Semiconductor Act discussion, in the speech, we emphasize the 4-day work week. Criticism may arise that this is contradictory," but he added, "There are no left or right in policy, and please understand our position that we need to adjust it according to reality."