Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday called for the government and parliament to deliver meaningful outcomes through a newly formed committee focused on addressing key economic issues.
The committee, which includes Choi and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, as well as Kwon Young-se, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, and Chairman Lee Jae-myung of the main opposition Democratic Party, is set to hold its first meeting on Thursday.
Discussions will cover various pending issues, including a supplementary budget and the passage of several contentious bills, including a special law that seeks to exempt semiconductor workers from South Korea's 52-hour workweek system.
During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Choi stressed that the committee "must achieve meaningful results in passing livelihood and economic bills, as well as additional fiscal measures."
The Semiconductor Special Act failed to pass last year due to political disagreements over exemptions to the 52-hour workweek system. Currently, the country's workweek system limits employees to 40 regular hours and 12 hours of overtime per week.
Choi emphasized that concerns about encouraging excessive working hours could be sufficiently addressed through earnest discussions.
The supplementary budget will also be a key topic of discussion. The DP has urged the government and the ruling party to introduce a 35 trillion-won ($24.2 billion) supplementary budget to support the nation's economy. (Yonhap)
