South Korean labor groups have strongly protested against the government's decision to give small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) a one-year grace period to adopt the 52-hour workweek system.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) called for the resignation of Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap, accusing him of implementing unconstitutional, anti-labor policies.

The umbrella union group claimed the Moon Jae-in administration was deferring legally-guaranteed labor conditions and introducing unprecedented measures to maintain long work hours.

The group also said it will seek to nullify the administration's decision to ease the standard on special circumstances for authorized extended work hours at the Seoul Administrative Court.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions(FKTU), another umbrella group, also acccused the government of giving up on the shortened workweek policy and said it will file a petition with the Constitutional Court regarding the clause on authorized extended work hours.

The business community, on the other hand, welcomed the government's move and suggested there should be additional supplementary measures.

The Korea Federation of SMEs said businesses with less than 100 workers should be given additional time to prepare for the 52-hour workweek system while the Korea Enterprises Federation said all the measures should be guaranteed by law.