PPP lawmaker introduces nationwide semiconductor R&D working-hours exemption bill, rejecting Honam-only approach

As the government and ruling party consider exempting workers at a planned Honam semiconductor industrial complex from the 52-hour workweek rule, People Power Party lawmaker Ko Dong-jin has introduced legislation that would extend working-hour exemptions to all semiconductor research and development personnel nationwide — not just those in a specific region. The bill centers on the argument that working-hour rules for the semiconductor industry should not vary depending on where a company locates its facilities.

Ko introduced the amendment to the Special Semiconductor Industry Act, which would exempt semiconductor R&D workers who meet certain conditions from the existing 52-hour weekly limit, according to the National Assembly on Friday. The bill would allow working-hour exemptions when workers and employers reach a written agreement, provided that additional overtime pay is guaranteed and health protections are in place, taking into account income levels and the nature of the work performed.

The bill takes a different approach from the one the Democratic Party and the Lee Jae-myung administration have been pursuing — namely, easing the 52-hour rule specifically for workers at a Honam semiconductor industrial complex currently in development. Ko said applying working-hour exemptions only to certain regions or industrial complexes would be inappropriate.

"If the application of working-hour regulations differs depending on which regional industrial complex a worker is in — whether in Honam or elsewhere — even when they perform the same semiconductor R&D work, it risks undermining fair competition among companies and creating inequity among workers," Ko said.

He said semiconductor R&D work requires periods of intensive effort — for new product development, trial production, yield improvement and urgent technical requests from customers — making it difficult to maintain industrial competitiveness under a rigid 52-hour cap. He also noted that major economies operate flexible working-hour systems for highly skilled research professionals, citing the United States' white-collar exemption, Japan's highly professional work system and the United Kingdom's 48-hour opt-out.

"South Korea faces the challenge of closing the technology gap with key competitors in system semiconductors, fabless chips, and materials, components and equipment," Ko said. "Because missing the right window for R&D in semiconductors makes it nearly impossible to recover a first-mover advantage in the market, working-hour regulations must be improved promptly to allow for intense focus and rapid response during the R&D phase."