Labor Ministry to inspect 100 workplaces over unpaid overtime targeting youth workers

The Ministry of Employment and Labor will launch a targeted inspection of 100 workplaces nationwide to crack down on excessive working hours and unpaid overtime among young workers.

The drive will focus on businesses in Seoul's Seongsu-dong area, where youth labor conditions drew criticism during a recent national audit, and will also examine whether private-sector workplaces that repeatedly use special extended-hour permits are taking adequate steps to protect workers' health.

The ministry said the second-half 2026 long-hours labor inspection campaign begins Tuesday.

The inspection targets industries with a high proportion of young employees, including information technology, professional and scientific services, accommodation and food service, and retail. Inspectors will focus on whether employers are complying with statutory working-hour limits and properly paying overtime, night-shift and holiday premiums.

Businesses in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, will receive particular scrutiny. The move follows criticism raised at the National Assembly's national audit on Oct. 13, when lawmakers flagged long working hours and inadequate compensation for young workers in the Seongsu-dong area, including concerns about how Gentle Monster operates its discretionary work-hour arrangements.

At the time, Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon pledged to draw up a comprehensive plan to eliminate unpaid labor. However, it has not been confirmed whether Gentle Monster or other individual companies are among the workplaces selected for this round of inspections.

Workplaces that repeatedly rely on special extended-hour permits will face joint inspections covering both labor standards and industrial safety. According to a ministry official, public institutions are excluded from this round of special extended-hour checks, and inspection targets will be selected from among private-sector workplaces only.

Inspectors will focus on whether employers are observing approved working-hour limits and whether health protection measures for workers are being properly implemented.

Data on workplaces with the highest number of special extended-hour approvals show that, on a cumulative basis from 2024 to 2026, SNK Aviation received 109 approvals and Youngbo Chemical received 108 under the "surge in workload" category. Kikwang Industries also ranked among the top with 74 approvals. Under the "research and development" category, Samsung Electronics received 28 approvals and SK hynix received 5.

These figures reflect the status of special extended-hour approvals by category and do not constitute a list of workplaces targeted in this inspection. Whether any of these companies are actually included in the inspection has not been confirmed, and the number of approvals alone does not indicate a legal violation.

According to the ministry, the average annual actual working hours of salaried workers in South Korea fell from 2,058 hours in 2015 to 1,846 hours in 2025. However, the ministry said some workplaces continue to draw complaints about both excessive hours and workers not being fully paid for the time they put in.

The ministry said it will issue correction orders, impose fines or pursue criminal charges — in accordance with relevant regulations — against any workplaces found to have violated labor standards or industrial safety laws during the inspections. It also plans to encourage businesses to voluntarily reduce long working hours by improving their working-hour management systems and restructuring work arrangements.

"It is important to create a working environment where people are fairly compensated for their work and can stay healthy by getting adequate rest," Minister Kim said. "We will work to eliminate unreasonable labor practices such as excessive working hours and unpaid overtime among young workers, and to ensure that workers' health and safety are protected."