Public concern over longer workweeks has prompted President Yoon Suk Yeol to call for a review of the planned revision of the existing 52-hour workweek system.

According to Kim Eun-hye, the senior presidential secretary for public relations, on Tuesday, Yoon asked the labor ministry to mitigate concerns by taking into account the opinions of workers, especially young people, during the advance legislation notice period.

Last week, the ministry announced an overhaul to reform the current system that will allow employees to calculate hours not only on a weekly basis but also on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, with eleven consecutive hours of mandatory rest between shifts.

Amid public backlash, the presidential office acknowledged that there was a lack of communication with the public prior to the announcement, stressing that the revisions are aimed at providing more flexibility in working hours for laborers.

An official from the top office told KBS that the president is understood to have asked for improved communication with the public and the consideration of supplementary measures.