As China’s 996 Culture Spreads, South Korea’s Tech Sector Grapples With 52-hour Limit

As nan world races to enactment up successful nan heavy tech gyration — from AI and semiconductors to quantum computing — invention has go nan caller rate of power. For galore companies, that unit has translated into heavier workloads and much aggravated activity cultures. Yet they look a existent dilemma: they can’t simply easiness up while competitors crossed nan globe push harder to win.

When I came crossed news astir nan aggravated “996” activity culture — moving 9 americium to 9 pm, six days a week, a 72-hour activity week — spreading from China to Silicon Valley, it made maine wonderment really different countries attack activity hours and workplace cultures successful nan tech industry. I was particularly funny astir really things comparison present successful South Korea, wherever I’m presently based.

In South Korea, nan modular workweek is 40 hours, pinch up to 12 hours of overtime, usually paid astatine 1.5 times nan regular complaint aliases more. Employers who break these rules consequence fines, executive imprisonment, and civilian liability.

The 52-hour workweek, introduced successful 2018 for ample companies pinch complete 300 labor and nationalist institutions, was gradually extended to each businesses and fully took effect connected January 1, 2025.

Earlier this year, South Korea rolled retired a typical extended activity program that lets labor activity beyond nan 52-hour play limit, pinch some worker consent and authorities approval, up to 64 hours. For heavy tech sectors for illustration semiconductors, support periods were temporarily extended from three to six months, though local media reports propose that only a fewer companies really took advantage of it. Looking ahead, nan South Korean authorities plans to standard backmost these typical exemptions and tighten working-hour regulations, moreover arsenic immoderate lawmakers reason that nan existent guidelines are sufficient, per the report.

TechCrunch said pinch respective tech investors and founders based successful South Korea astir really nan 52-hour workweek limit affects their businesses and their R&D projects arsenic they effort to compete pinch world companies.

“The 52-hour workweek is so a challenging facet erstwhile making finance decisions successful heavy tech sectors,” Yongkwan Lee, CEO of South Korea-based task superior patient Bluepoint Partners, told TechCrunch. “This is peculiarly applicable erstwhile investing successful globally competitory sectors for illustration semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Labor challenges are peculiarly analyzable successful these sectors, wherever founders and teams often look aggravated workloads and agelong hours during captious maturation phases.”

At Bluepoint, early-stage investments are often made earlier nan underlying technologies are afloat developed aliases products are fresh for market. In this context, Lee noted that strict limits connected moving hours could perchance effect nan gait astatine which cardinal business milestones are reached.

In South Korea, 70.4% of labor astatine startup companies responded that they would beryllium consenting to activity an further 52 hours per week if capable compensation is provided, per local reports.

Bohyung Kim, CTO of LeMong, a South Korean startup backed by LG Uplus that delivers agentic AI solutions to much than 13,000 mini and medium-sized enterprises successful nan nutrient and beverage sector, said nan country’s 52-hour workweek strategy often feels much for illustration a restriction than a protection.

“Engineers activity to find applicable solutions to analyzable problems,” Kim said. “Our activity isn’t astir completing predefined tasks wrong fixed hours. It’s astir utilizing productivity and heavy attraction to lick challenges and create caller value. When an thought strikes aliases a method breakthrough happens, nan conception of clip disappears. If a strategy forces you to extremity astatine that moment, it breaks nan travel and tin really trim efficiency.”

Kim added that while short-term, aggravated attraction is important arsenic task deadlines attack aliases erstwhile refining cardinal algorithms, rigid ineligible limits tin sometimes get successful nan way, including depending connected nan benignant of engineering domiciled personification holds. “Even among engineers, accumulation roles successful manufacturing disagree from R&D positions,” Kim explained. “In manufacturing, productivity is straight linked to moving hours, truthful schedules request to relationship for business safety. Overtime should besides beryllium reasonably compensated.”

When asked astir workplace flexibility, Huiyong Lee, co-founder of LeMong, which makes remark guidance software, said he thinks figuring retired a monthly mean would beryllium much applicable than adhering strictly to nan country’s 52-hour play limit. He noted that activity strength often varies depending connected nan shape of R&D and task timelines successful heavy tech companies.

“For companies for illustration ours, intensive improvement efforts are often required for astir 2 weeks anterior to a merchandise launch, aft which nan workload eases erstwhile nan merchandise stabilizes,” Lee said. “A strategy pinch monthly elasticity would let america to activity astir 60 hours per week earlier a motorboat and 40 hours per week afterward, maintaining an mean of 52 hours while ensuring operational efficiency,” Lee continued. “I besides judge it is worthy considering differentiated standards for heavy tech and R&D-focused companies. At nan aforesaid time, for startups pinch less than 10–20 employees, it is basal to found much elastic criteria to accommodate their unsocial operational needs.”

Kim besides noted that location is simply a clear nexus betwixt capacity and hours worked. High-performing squad members often thin to put successful longer hours, he said. But alternatively than seeking rewards for nan other time, these apical performers attraction connected achieving results and advancing quickly wrong nan company.

“Engineers are acold much motivated to dive successful erstwhile their efforts are recognized, whether done capacity bonuses, banal options, aliases acknowledgment of method contributions,” Kim said. “In high-tech, R&D, and IT industries, arsenic good arsenic successful globally competitory firms wherever method expertise is key, decisions astir elastic activity hours should beryllium driven by marketplace logic.”

Another Seoul-based task capitalist, who invests successful startups, downplayed nan effect of nan 52-hour workweek limit connected finance decisions.

“At nan moment, location don’t look to beryllium immoderate awesome concerns. While it’s ever difficult to foretell really labour regulations aliases monitoring practices mightiness evolve, galore task companies coming do not strictly way employees’ moving hours. To my understanding, there’s presently nary request for companies to taxable general grounds proving that labor enactment wrong nan 52-hour play limit.”

If an worker were to record a complaint, nan VC noted, “the absence of elaborate clip records could raise compliance questions. That said, astir R&D aliases deeptech firms typically worker highly self-motivated professionals who negociate their ain schedules responsibly, truthful specified cases look comparatively uncommon.”

The greater situation apt lies successful much labor-intensive industries, specified arsenic logistics, delivery, aliases manufacturing, wherever a ample information of workers gain adjacent to nan minimum wage. “In those sectors, nan 52-hour workweek regularisation tin importantly summation labour costs owed to mandatory overtime salary and paid leave. As a result, maintaining productivity and achieving economies of standard tin go much difficult for businesses operating nether tight margins,” this investor said.

How different countries work

To understand wherever South Korea’s 52-hour limit fits successful nan world scenery — and why its heavy tech companies consciousness squeezed betwixt competing pressures — it’s worthy examining really different awesome tech hubs modulate moving hours.

According to reports, Europe-based VCs and startups are having a heated statement complete China’s 996 activity culture, according to reports.

In Germany, nan UK, and France, modular workweeks typically scope from 33 to 48 hours. In Australia and Canada, nan modular workweek is 38 and 40 hours, respectively, pinch mandatory overtime pay, offering a equilibrium betwixt labour authorities and workplace flexibility.

In nan U.S., the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets a modular 40-hour workweek. Non-exempt labor gain time-and-a-half for immoderate overtime, and there’s nary limit connected full hours. (In California, nan rules only require double-time salary for definite overtime.)

In China, nan modular activity schedule is besides 40 hours per week, aliases 8 hours a day. Overtime is paid astatine higher rates: astir 150% of regular salary connected weekdays, 200% connected weekends, and 300% connected nationalist holidays. In Japan, nan modular workweek is 40 hours, pinch limits of 45 hours of overtime per period and 370 hours per twelvemonth nether normal circumstances. Employers who transcend these limits tin look fines and administrative penalties, arsenic successful different countries.

Singapore’s workweek is somewhat longer astatine 44 hours, pinch a maximum of 72 overtime hours per month. If dispersed evenly, that’s astir 62 hours per week. Overtime salary rates are similar: 1.5 times for weekdays, 2 times for remainder days, and 3 times for nationalist holidays.

South Korea’s 52-hour headdress sits successful nan mediate of this spectrum, stricter than nan U.S. and Singapore but much elastic than overmuch of Europe. Either way, for heavy tech founders competing globally, nan mobility isn’t conscionable astir nan number — it’s astir whether rigid play limits tin accommodate nan intense, uneven workflows that qualify early-stage R&D.