Chung Chung-rae, a candidate for leader of the ruling Democratic Party in its Aug. 17 convention, said on the 12th that South Korea's 52-hour workweek cap must be observed even for mega special zones covering industries such as semiconductors.
The proposal under debate would grant exceptions to the 52-hour weekly limit only in mega special zones for sectors like chips. Asked by reporters at the National Assembly about differences among the relevant ministries, Chung said the cap should be kept. "If 52 hours is not enough and hours need to be extended, the answer is not to extend hours but to hire more people," he said. "If there is a shortage of workers, wouldn't it be better to add workers as a way of creating jobs?"
Chung said semiconductor demand is surging in the age of artificial intelligence, and that South Korea is the country best positioned to meet it. "For chips launched in Gwangju during President Lee Jae-myung's term to be sold worldwide, the factories must be completed at speed," he said.
Even so, he drew a line against extending working hours, repeating that hiring more workers, rather than lengthening hours, was the way to address any labor shortage.
Chung cited rising tax revenue from the expansion of the chip industry as grounds for his position. "Extra tax revenue could reach 60 trillion won this year, 100 trillion won next year, and 200 trillion to 300 trillion won the year after," he said, adding that ample funding would remain. He explained that since President Lee had proposed spending the surplus on four areas — the future, young people, regions and education — it could also be used to expand the workforce.
On the recent decline in President Lee's approval ratings, Chung diagnosed that an erosion of the traditional core support base had played a role. "If you look at the raw polling data now, the traditional hard-core support base — in other words, the concrete base that says the administration is doing very well — has shown a tendency to loosen since the local elections, and approval has been falling," he said.
Chung argued that his own election as party leader would lead to a rebound in the president's approval ratings. "I believe Chung Chung-rae's supporters are backed by the hard-core base," he said. "I expect my election to lead to a rise in the president's approval."
He added, "It could rise by about 5%, and while I serve as party leader, I think it could climb by around 10% before long."
Responding to fellow candidate Song Young-gil, who cited housing policy and other factors as causes of the president's approval decline, Chung disagreed, saying, "I don't think so." He said, "With the president's approval continuing to fall, I too am very flustered and pained." He added that his reformist credentials and sincerity were taking hold, centered on the traditional core support base, over the course of the convention.
At the news conference the same day, Chung also pledged to raise the president's approval by more than 10% from current levels. "I will reignite the hearts of the traditional hard-core support base," he said.
