Lee Jae-myung pledges to expand support for 4.5-day workweek

Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday pledged to expand support for companies that adopt a 4.5-day workweek system as part of efforts to reduce the nation's long working hours. In a Facebook post, Lee said he aims to bring Korea's average working hours below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s average by 2030. Korean employees worked an average of 1,874 hours in 2023, approximately 150 hours more than the OECD average, according to government data. "(We will) craft support measures for companies that adopt a 4.5-day workweek system. In the long term, (we) should move toward a 4-day workweek," Lee wrote. Lee also proposed setting a cap on daily working hours and introducing a minimum reset period system to prevent deaths from overwork. "We will enact related legislation to obligate the government to establish effective measures to prevent overwork-related deaths," Lee added.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times