(BREAKING) Labor Law Amendment Announced

From now on, annual leave can be used in hourly units instead of full days. Workers who work 4 hours can also leave work immediately without a separate break time. The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 7th that an amendment to the Labor Standards Act containing these provisions passed the National Assembly plenary session. According to the amendment, workers can now use annual leave divided into hourly units. Previously, using annual leave in full-day units was the standard. Additionally, the mandatory 30-minute break requirement for 4-hour shifts will be relaxed. Going forward, workers can leave immediately without a break if they wish. The current Labor Standards Act requires a minimum 30-minute break for 4-hour shifts, so there had been criticism that extra waiting time occurred even after short shifts. This system restructuring was prepared through discussions by the "Actual Working Hours Reduction Roadmap Promotion Team" involving labor, management, and government. The hourly annual leave system will take effect one year after the law is enacted, while the break-related regulations will take effect six months after enactment. The National Assembly also passed an amendment to the Employment Security Act to prevent scams in overseas employment. The amendment prevents job portals from posting overseas job advertisements where the employer's identity or work location is unclear. In particular, for workplaces where industrial accidents have occurred, job portals must be required to mark that fact. The government also gained the authority to order the suspension or deletion of false or exaggerated job advertisements. Additionally, the National Assembly passed a bill prohibiting the provision of illegal temporary structures like vinyl greenhouses as housing for foreign workers, and an amendment to the Social Enterprise Promotion Act allowing social enterprises to establish associations with approval from the Minister of Labor.