On April 20th, the South Korean Ministry of Labor recently approved a special working hour application for Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor system department, allowing its R&D personnel to implement a maximum of 64 hours of work per week (i.e. five days a week, 12.8 hours a day) for the next three months, and then adjust to 60 hours per week for the next three months. At present, South Korea has revised the Labor Standards Act, allowing high-tech companies certified by the government as “semiconductor research and development enterprises” to apply for an extension of overtime hours, and extending the validity period of overtime approval for semiconductor enterprises to one year. Samsung submitted materials such as a government certified “semiconductor research and development enterprise” certificate, and the approval process was quickly completed. Industry sources say that chip manufacturers such as SK Hynix are also preparing similar applications. The South Korean government stated that this move is aimed at enhancing the international competitiveness of the local semiconductor industry, but it has raised concerns among labor groups about overwork issues.
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