Small and medium-sized businesses in South Korea will be given a grace period of more than six months to fully enforce the mandatory 52-hour workweek system that is set to take effect for them in January.

At a press briefing on Monday, Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap said companies employing 50 to 299 workers will be given enough time to prepare for the new rules, without specifying exactly how long the grace period will be.

He said it will be longer than the six to nine months given to local conglomerates which implemented the system in July of last year.

The government also plans to ease the standard on special circumstances for authorized extended work hours to include temporary increases in workload and other management concerns.

Seoul announced the latest measures amid prolonged political wrangling over the passage of a bill aimed at doubling the flexible working hours system from the current three months to a maximum six months.