The prosperity of our semiconductor industry today is by no means a coincidence. In those barren early days, there were pioneers who staked their fate on seemingly impossible challenges. The preemptive investment and indomitable will of forward-looking private enterprises created today's semiconductor powerhouse, South Korea.
Now we stand at another inflection point. The explosion in semiconductor demand triggered by the artificial intelligence revolution has escalated beyond corporate competition into a technological hegemony war between nations. Major countries including the United States, Japan, and China are elevating their industries to an "all-out national effort" through astronomical support and bold deregulation. As a former researcher turned executive, when I observe the field, I see our companies radiating unprecedented energy as they challenge global markets. Yet amid this competition, our companies find themselves forced to slow down due to regulations. A prime example is the rigid working hour system being uniformly applied.
Past success stemmed from bold investment and flexible organizational culture. However, today's cutting-edge research and development sites are trapped within the uniform "52-hour weekly cap," losing space for immersion and creativity. R&D is not simple labor that produces outputs at set times—it is a creative process where continuity and immersion are vital. In environments requiring intense focus and concentration to verify a single hypothesis, forced stops do more than interrupt flow; they reduce research efficiency. If the lights in research labs go dark not because of voluntary rest but due to legal limits, the engine of innovation stops at that moment too.
Voices from the field are desperate. One KOSDAQ semiconductor design company CEO has said, "When collaborating with U.S. clients, late-night video conferences are essential due to time differences, but the 52-hour limit makes flexible response impossible. Ultimately, schedules get delayed and we fall behind competitors." It is time to reflect on whether our companies alone are falling behind, weighed down by regulatory sandbags while global competitors sprint with all their might on the borderless battlefield of technology.
This rigidity effectively exists only in Korea. The United States applies "white-collar exemptions" to professional and research personnel above a certain income level, exempting them from statutory working hours and overtime pay requirements. Japan introduced the "highly skilled professional system" to establish a performance-centered evaluation framework, and even Europe allows flexibility premised on labor-management agreement within its 48-hour weekly cap. They protect workers' health rights while granting autonomy to cutting-edge industries where speed is life.
Of course, the intent behind systems preventing long working hours must be respected. However, flexible work arrangements reflecting the unique nature of research sites must be established. For dedicated R&D personnel, the settlement period and scope of selective working hour systems should be expanded. For professional researchers above a certain level, autonomous working hour management should be recognized, accompanied by necessary safeguards such as annual total working hour caps and health checkups.
A nation's future competitiveness will be determined not just in factories on the ground but in the light of research laboratories. What we need now is not turning off those lights with uniform regulations, but a "balanced system" that grants autonomy to compete with the world while protecting researchers' health. We must face the fact that while we hesitate, trapped in regulatory frameworks, global competitors are racing ahead. Our choices today will determine the fate of Korea's semiconductor industry and KOSDAQ a decade from now.
