The labor community and opposition political parties are calling for adoption of a four-day workweek system to reduce labor hours in the country.

Such a call was made at a forum hosted by 14 opposition lawmakers, including main opposition Democratic Party(DP) Rep. Lee Hack-young, civic groups, and the nation's two major umbrella unions on Monday.

Pukyong National University Economics Professor Hwang Sun-oong claimed that while multiple research results have shown improvement in the quality of people's lives since the establishments of the 40-hour and 52-hour ceiling, no negative economic impact has been observed.

Korea Worker Institute:Union Center chief Kim Jong-jin proposed reducing the weekly maximum extended work hours from 12 to eight, increasing the annual leave from 15 to 20 days, and gradually reducing the workweek from 40 to 32.

While both the umbrella unions, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions(FKTU), support the four-day workweek, such a proposal is strongly opposed by the business community.

Hwang Yong-yeon, head of the labor policy division at the Korea Enterprises Federation, raised concerns over low labor productivity leading to weakened corporate competitiveness, difficulty in securing workforce, and widened social polarization.