South Korea's proposal to raise overtime caps draws backlash

SEOUL, South Korea - A proposal in South Korea to increase the maximum workweek to 69 hours from 52 has drawn intense backlash from younger workers and set off a generational debate about work-life balance.

The proposal from President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration appeared counterintuitive on its face: The government claimed that raising the weekly cap on overtime would give workers more freedom, quality of life and time with their families.

The argument put forward by South Korea's labor minister earlier this month was that workers could bank more overtime by calculating overtime caps monthly or annually instead of weekly during times when it was convenient for them to work. They could use that saved up time to take longer vacations or parental leave during other parts of the year.

After a string of public outcry, including protests by unions and a torrent of opposition on social media, South Korea s government is trying to walk back the proposal while vowing to do a better job listening to the country's youth.

Hwang Joon-pyo, 22, said in an interview in his family home in Seoul, the capital, whenever I come home, my dad seems to come home late. It makes me think a lot about, Could I work like that? Would I be able to do well? Hwang Joon-pyo was studying science at a South Korean university, following in the footsteps of his father, Hwang Sung-kwan, who runs a pharmaceutical manufacturer south of the city.

But the son decided that his father's way was not his way: he left college to focus on his dream of being a deejay, and now works overnight playing electronic dance music in one of Seoul's hottest clubs.

His father still hopes that his son will return to school to study science or engineering.

"Frankly speaking, I wanted that," said Hwang Sung-kwan with a weighty sigh as he walked the floor of his factory. Who do you think is going to make the decision? It is my son's decision, my son's life. The debate in South Korea about living versus living to work echoes the one in South Korea as Covid 19 recedes, with phrases like quiet quitting and the Great Resignation entering the vernacular.

Many workers who grew accustomed to working less or from home during the epidemic are considering rethinking their willingness to return to their old lives dominated by wage-earning labor, because of the strong labor market. In France, the outrage over President Emmanuel Macron's push to raise retirement age by two years to 64 is fuelling violent protests.