Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun said, "Domestic semiconductor corporations are indeed in a situation where they are running with sandbags on."
On the 15th, Minister Ahn responded to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jong-bae during a National Assembly government question session regarding whether the country can compete on equal footing with companies like Nvidia in the U.S. and TSMC in Taiwan while maintaining a 52-hour work regulation, saying, "It's a bit of a tough situation." This is interpreted to mean that exceptions to the 52-hour workweek should be applied to research and development personnel in semiconductor corporations.
He also explained, "Taiwan allows for up to 12 hours of work per day if there is an agreement between labor and management," adding, "In the case of TSMC, weekend work has been normalized."
Minister Ahn also mentioned regarding the outlook for semiconductor tariffs imposed by the U.S. government, "Reports are coming out that the feedback collection process has started," and added, "I believe an announcement will be made soon, as President Trump has stated."