"If You Take a Half-Day Off in the Afternoon, You Can Leave Work 30 Minutes Earlier"... Government Pushes to Make International Workers' Day a Public Holiday

[Financial News] The government will revise the system to allow workers to freely 'choose' whether to use the 30-minute statutory break when taking a half-day off.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on the 31st, the Task Force for the Roadmap to Reduce Actual Working Hours, which includes the tripartite council of labor, management, and government, held a public briefing on reducing actual working hours the previous day, announcing a joint declaration and key initiatives.
Under Article 54 of the Labor Standards Act, employers must provide at least a 30-minute break during four hours of work, and at least one hour during eight hours of work. The issue arises when employees take a half-day off. If an eight-hour worker takes a half-day off in the afternoon and works only four hours in the morning, the 30-minute break must still be observed.
This regulation is mandatory to protect workers' health, so even if labor and management agree to allow employees to leave 30 minutes early, it has no legal effect. Employers who fail to provide the break may face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.
With the active adoption of the half-day leave system, the government will completely revise these unreasonable regulations. Workers will be allowed to freely choose their break time during four-hour shifts, enabling them to leave immediately if they wish.
Currently, if an employee takes a half-day off in the afternoon, they must work from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., but due to the mandatory 30-minute break, they can only leave at 12:30 p.m. The law will be amended so that employees can leave at 1 p.m. in the future.
Additionally, the government will explicitly guarantee in law that young workers and those with childcare responsibilities have the right to use annual leave in four-hour increments (half-days).

Measures will also be strengthened to prevent the misuse of the Inclusive Wage System, which pays a fixed allowance regardless of actual hours worked. Recording and managing working hours will become mandatory, and the law will require employers to accurately document hours worked in wage ledgers. The aim is to eliminate 'unpaid labor' and ensure fair compensation for all hours worked.
Furthermore, a regulation will be introduced to prohibit any disadvantageous treatment, such as negative performance evaluations, for employees who apply for or use annual leave.
There is also a move to designate May 1, International Workers' Day, as a public holiday. If the law is amended, not only private sector employees but also public officials and teachers will be able to take the day off.
However, the legal mandate for a 4.5-day workweek, as requested by labor groups, was excluded from this agreement. Instead, the government will encourage voluntary adoption by providing financial support to companies that implement a 4.5-day workweek or flexible start times for employees with childcare responsibilities.
Kim Young-hoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, stated, "This agreement is a meaningful achievement made possible through compromise and communication among labor, management, and government. The government will actively support the swift passage of the agreed legislative tasks in the National Assembly."
moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter