Editorials
Government must break megazone deadlock with labor (KOR)
The Lee Jae Myung administration must resolve workweek exemption talks to give semiconductor investors the certainty they need to move forward.
Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, speaks at a press conference outside the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Oct. 14, calling for the megaproject and megazone legislation to proceed without undermining labor rights, while urging measures to address inequality and polarization and strengthen public services.
NEWS1
The proposed Special Act on Designation and Operation of Mega-Regional Strategic Industry Special Zones for Local-Led Growth, intended to support President Lee Jae Myung's three major development projects, is facing delays amid opposition from organized labor. Korea's two largest labor federations oppose exemptions from the 52-hour workweek, a central provision.
Lee has suggested revising existing enforcement decrees or simplifying procedures, but unions remain opposed. Without a breakthrough, efforts to accelerate semiconductor investment could remain rhetoric. The government must reach a substantive conclusion at the sixth round of talks on labor exemptions scheduled for Wednesday.
On Tuesday, 134 labor and civic organizations, including the two major federations, demanded the bill's withdrawal. They argued that exemptions from the workweek limit, expanded flexible working arrangements, longer fixed-term contracts and eased restrictions on dispatched workers would undermine labor rights.
Concerns about workers' health and job security deserve attention. But demanding the entire bill's withdrawal without acknowledging the urgency of targeted exemptions is unconvincing. Protecting constitutionally guaranteed labor rights must not come at the expense of recognizing strategic industries' importance.
Speed and technological capabilities determine competitiveness in semiconductors. Taiwan, China, the United States and Japan are racing to develop next-generation chips. Korea cannot afford to waste time under rigid labor regulations while competitors advance. Once the semiconductor boom peaks and begins to decline, new investments could deliver considerably smaller returns.
For the three megaprojects to become reality, companies need the institutional and physical foundations to invest. Greater flexibility in working hours should be accompanied by safeguards guaranteeing sufficient rest.
The government must also stop wavering over major policies. Inadequate advance coordination forced it to postpone schedules or change positions on joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and conducting a nationwide farmland survey, eroding public confidence.
It similarly delayed decisions on new nuclear reactors by referring the issue to public deliberation. The megazone legislation must not follow the same path. Labor opposition cannot serve as an excuse for indefinitely postponing decisions.
The government should address legitimate concerns while establishing workable exemptions that preserve essential protections. International competition is intensifying, and investment opportunities will not remain open indefinitely. Companies planning large semiconductor facilities need predictability, not prolonged uncertainty over rules governing their operations. The stakes extend beyond individual companies to Korea's broader technological standing and its capacity to sustain future growth.
If the administration genuinely intends to protect people's livelihoods, it must accept responsibility for finding a way forward. Industrial ambitions mean little unless they are backed by timely decisions and the practical conditions necessary for investment.
노동계 반대에 발목 잡힌 메가특구, 정부가 돌파구 열어야
이재명 정부의 3대 메가프로젝트를 뒷받침할 초광역특구법(메가특구법)이 노동계의 반발로 추진에 난항을 겪고 있다. 핵심 쟁점인 주 52시간제 예외 적용을 놓고 양대 노총이 강하게 반대하고 있기 때문이다. 이재명 대통령이 기존 제도의 시행령 개정이나 절차 간소화를 통한 해법 마련을 주문했지만 노동계는 물러설 기미가 없다. 이렇게 우물쭈물하다가는 반도체 투자 속도전은 구호에 그치고 만다. 정부는 오늘(28일) 예정된 6차 노동특례 원포인트 사회적 대화에서 실질적인 결론을 내야 한다.
양대 노총을 비롯한 134개 노동·시민사회단체는 어제 기자회견을 열고 메가특구법의 전면 철회를 요구했다. 주 52시간제 예외 적용뿐 아니라 선택적 근로시간제 확대, 기간제 사용기간 연장, 파견 규제 완화 등이 노동자 권리를 훼손한다는 주장이다. 노동자의 건강권과 고용 안정에 대한 우려는 경청해야 한다. 그러나 특례의 시급성과 필요성을 외면한 채 법안 전체를 철회하라는 요구는 설득력이 떨어진다. 헌법상 보장된 노동자의 권익을 보호해야 한다는 논리가 국가 전략산업의 중요성을 외면하는 결과로 이어져서는 안 된다.
반도체 산업은 속도와 기술력이 경쟁력의 핵심이다. 대만·중국·미국·일본이 차세대 반도체 기술 확보에 총력전을 펴는 상황에서 한국만 경직된 노동 규제에 묶여 잠자는 토끼처럼 시간을 허비해선 안 된다. 반도체 호황이 꺾이고 피크아웃이 본격화하면 신규 투자의 효용이 크게 떨어질 것이다. 3대 메가프로젝트가 구호에 그치지 않으려면 기업들이 투자할 수 있는 제도적·물리적 기반이 뒷받침돼야 한다. 노동시간 유연화 제도에도 충분한 휴식 보장 장치를 병행하면 된다.
정부는 더 이상 정책 추진 과정에서 우왕좌왕해서는 안 된다. 포괄적·점진적 환태평양경제동반자협정(CPTPP) 가입 문제와 농지 전수조사에서도 사전 조율 부족으로 일정을 미루거나 방침을 바꾸면서 정책 불신을 키웠다. 신규 원전 건설 문제 역시 공론화에 부치며 결정을 미뤘다. 메가특구마저 같은 전철을 밟아서는 안 된다. 노동계의 반발이 정책 결정을 미루는 구실이 될 수는 없다. 정부가 진정 국민의 삶을 책임진다면 사명감을 갖고 돌파구를 열어야 한다.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
