Samsung Electronics is the first company to receive government approval to extend working hours for its semiconductor research and development (R&D) staff under a new policy to boost the industry’s competitiveness, industry sources said on April 10.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Gyeonggi branch approved the request on April 9, the sources said.
The exemption allows Samsung’s chip R&D employees to work up to 64 hours per week for the first three months and up to 60 hours per week for the next three—exceeding South Korea’s 52-hour statutory workweek.
The approval comes after the government revised labor rules on March 14 to extend the permitted overtime for chip R&D roles to six months per application, up from the previous three. Companies can also seek a one-time, six-month extension under the new rule.
A labor ministry official said other semiconductor firms are preparing similar applications.
