Workers in Korea will be able to use their annual leave in hourly increments rather than only in full-day units. Employees who work four hours will also be allowed to leave immediately without taking a 30-minute break.
Hourly Leave Split, Immediate Departure… Stronger Rest Rights for Workers
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on Friday, the National Assembly passed four bills under the ministry's jurisdiction, including amendments to the Labor Standards Act, the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers, the Employment Security Act, and the Social Enterprise Promotion Act.
The key change involves how annual leave can be used. Previously, leave could only be taken in full-day units, but going forward, workers will be able to split it into hourly increments.
Unfavorable treatment of workers who request or use annual leave — such as wage cuts or disadvantages in personnel decisions — will also be prohibited. In addition, on days when a worker has been on duty for four hours, the rules will change to allow the worker to leave immediately without the 30-minute break, upon the worker's request.
Housing conditions for foreign workers will also be improved. At some industrial sites, foreign workers have been living in illegal temporary structures such as vinyl greenhouses, leaving them exposed to fires, heat waves, and cold snaps.
Under this amendment, providing illegal temporary structures as lodging will be prohibited. The amendment also establishes a legal basis for the labor minister to provide administrative and financial support for local governments' housing improvement, counseling, and education programs for foreign workers.
Blocking False Job Ads, Allowing Social Enterprise Associations
Regulations on job advertisements have also been tightened. Job information providers, such as employment portals, will be required to indicate occupational accident statistics in job postings for workplaces where such figures have been made public.
Job advertisements from unidentified sources and overseas employment ads with unclear workplaces will be banned outright. A legal basis has also been established for the government to order corrections, suspension of postings, or deletion of false or exaggerated job advertisements.
"This amendment will fundamentally block illegal and false job advertisements that lure workers with promises of high income, such as employment scams in Cambodia," the MOEL said.
Social enterprises will be allowed to voluntarily establish associations upon approval by the labor minister. A legal basis for mutual aid businesses has also been put in place, enabling the creation of a management safety net, and the requirement to submit business reports has been reduced from twice a year to once.
"The laws passed by the National Assembly this time are intended to address the inconveniences and difficulties that workers and job seekers experience on the ground," Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said. "The government will continue to work to create happy workplaces where work and life coexist, including by strengthening the protection of workers' right to rest, and will always listen to the voices on the ground."
