Korea's industry ministry denies drafting unilateral semiconductor work-hour exemption

South Korea's industry ministry on Tuesday denied a newspaper report that it is preparing a presidential decree to exempt semiconductor workers from the country's 52-hour work week, saying it has neither fixed a plan in advance nor is pursuing a unilateral revision.

The ministry said it is not conducting the social dialogue with any labour-exception model, method or content already settled, and that it is not reviewing a plan to push a decree revision independently of that dialogue. It said any outcome will be pursued on the basis of what the dialogue agrees.

The statement responded to a Dong-A Ilbo report on Tuesday that the government was patching together a decree on the exemption.

At issue is a special-category bill for so-called ultra-wide-area special zones, which was proposed with labour provisions including exceptions to working-hour and fixed-term contract rules for companies inside the zones. A version of the bill without the labour provisions has also been filed.

One-point social dialogue involving labour, management and the relevant ministries is already under way on the labour exceptions, with a vice-ministerial preparatory meeting on Sept. 18 followed by five sessions of a working-level consultative body at director-general level. The ministry said it will support the talks so that management's difficulties and labour's concerns, grounded in specific cases and conditions, are heard and discussed fully enough to reach a reasonable solution, and that any approach will be pursued on the basis of what the dialogue discusses and agrees.

The government's stated goal is to secure a reasonable measure that strengthens competitiveness in advanced industries such as semiconductors and AI and contributes to a healthy, sustainable working environment.

On Oct. 23, a regulatory reform committee chaired by the president set out a plan to enact the special zone law, combining the largest regulatory exemptions ever granted under a single statute with government-wide support.