As China’s 996 culture spreads, South Korea’s tech sector grapples with 52-hour limit

Because the world races to remain forward within the deep tech revolution — from AI and semiconductors to quantum computing — innovation has grow to be the brand new forex of energy. For a lot of firms, that strain has translated into heavier workloads and extra intense work cultures. But they face an actual dilemma: they will’t merely ease up whereas opponents throughout the globe push more durable to win.

Once I got here throughout information in regards to the intense “996” work culture — working 9 am to 9 pm, six days per week, a 72-hour work week — spreading from China to Silicon Valley, it made me surprise how completely different international locations strategy work hours and office cultures within the tech trade. I used to be particularly interested in how issues evaluate right here in South Korea, the place I’m presently primarily based.

In South Korea, the usual workweek is 40 hours, with as much as 12 hours of overtime, normally paid at 1.5 instances the common charge or extra. Employers who violate these guidelines danger fines, govt imprisonment, and civil legal responsibility.

The 52-hour workweek, introduced in 2018 for big firms with over 300 staff and public establishments, was progressively prolonged to all companies and fully took effect on January 1, 2025.

Earlier this 12 months, South Korea rolled out a special extended work program that lets staff work past the 52-hour weekly restrict, with each employee consent and authorities approval, as much as 64 hours. For deep tech sectors like semiconductors, approval intervals have been briefly prolonged from three to six months, although local media reports counsel that only some firms really took benefit of it. Wanting forward, the South Korean authorities plans to reduce these particular exemptions and tighten working-hour laws, at the same time as some lawmakers argue that the present tips are enough, per the report.

TechCrunch spoke with a number of tech buyers and founders primarily based in South Korea about how the 52-hour workweek restrict impacts their companies and their R&D tasks as they attempt to compete with international firms.

“The 52-hour workweek is certainly a difficult issue when making funding choices in deep tech sectors,” Yongkwan Lee, CEO of South Korea-based enterprise capital agency Bluepoint Partners, informed TechCrunch. “That is notably related when investing in globally aggressive sectors like semiconductors, synthetic intelligence, and quantum computing. Labor challenges are notably advanced in these sectors, the place founders and groups usually face intense workloads and lengthy hours throughout vital progress phases.”

At Bluepoint, early-stage investments are sometimes made earlier than the underlying applied sciences are totally developed or merchandise are prepared for market. On this context, Lee famous that strict limits on working hours may doubtlessly impression the tempo at which key enterprise milestones are reached.

In South Korea, 70.4% of staff at startup firms responded that they might be prepared to work an extra 52 hours per week if ample compensation is offered, per local reports.

Bohyung Kim, CTO of LeMong, a South Korean startup backed by LG Uplus that delivers agentic AI options to greater than 13,000 small and medium-sized enterprises within the meals and beverage sector, mentioned the nation’s 52-hour workweek system usually feels extra like a restriction than a safety.

“Engineers work to search out sensible options to advanced issues,” Kim mentioned. “Our work isn’t about finishing predefined duties inside mounted hours. It’s about utilizing creativity and deep focus to resolve challenges and create new worth. When an concept strikes or a technical breakthrough occurs, the idea of time disappears. If a system forces you to cease at that second, it breaks the circulation and may really scale back effectivity.”

Kim added that whereas short-term, intense focus is essential as mission deadlines strategy or when refining key algorithms, inflexible authorized limits can typically get in the way in which, together with relying on the form of engineering position somebody holds. “Even amongst engineers, manufacturing roles in manufacturing differ from R&D positions,” Kim defined. “In manufacturing, productiveness is immediately linked to working hours, so schedules must account for industrial security. Additional time must also be pretty compensated.”

When requested about office flexibility, Huiyong Lee, co-founder of LeMong, which makes remark administration software program, mentioned he thinks determining a month-to-month common could be extra sensible than adhering strictly to the nation’s 52-hour weekly restrict. He famous that work depth usually varies relying on the stage of R&D and mission timelines in deep tech firms.

“For firms like ours, intensive improvement efforts are sometimes required for about two weeks previous to a product launch, after which the workload eases as soon as the product stabilizes,” Lee mentioned. “A system with month-to-month flexibility would enable us to work round 60 hours per week earlier than a launch and 40 hours per week afterward, sustaining a mean of 52 hours whereas guaranteeing operational effectivity,” Lee continued. “I additionally consider it’s price contemplating differentiated requirements for deep tech and R&D-focused firms. On the similar time, for startups with fewer than 10–20 staff, it’s important to determine extra versatile standards to accommodate their distinctive operational wants.”

Kim additionally famous that there’s a clear hyperlink between efficiency and hours labored. Excessive-performing crew members usually are likely to put in longer hours, he mentioned. However somewhat than looking for rewards for the additional time, these high performers deal with attaining outcomes and advancing rapidly inside the firm.

“Engineers are way more motivated to dive in when their efforts are acknowledged, whether or not via efficiency bonuses, inventory choices, or acknowledgment of technical contributions,” Kim mentioned. “In high-tech, R&D, and IT industries, in addition to in globally aggressive companies the place technical experience is essential, choices about versatile work hours must be pushed by market logic.”

One other Seoul-based enterprise capitalist, who invests in startups, downplayed the impression of the 52-hour workweek restrict on funding choices.

“In the mean time, there don’t seem like any main issues. Whereas it’s at all times tough to foretell how labor laws or monitoring practices would possibly evolve, many enterprise firms right now don’t strictly observe staff’ working hours. To my understanding, there’s presently no requirement for firms to submit formal proof proving that staff keep inside the 52-hour weekly restrict.”

If an worker have been to file a grievance, the VC famous, “the absence of detailed time information may elevate compliance questions. That mentioned, most R&D or deeptech companies sometimes worker extremely self-motivated professionals who handle their very own schedules responsibly, so such instances appear comparatively unusual.”

The better problem probably lies in additional labor-intensive industries, comparable to logistics, supply, or manufacturing, the place a big portion of employees earn near the minimal wage. “In these sectors, the 52-hour workweek regulation can considerably improve labor prices attributable to obligatory extra time pay and paid depart. Because of this, sustaining productiveness and attaining economies of scale can grow to be tougher for companies working underneath tight margins,” this investor mentioned.

How different international locations work

To know the place South Korea’s 52-hour restrict matches within the international panorama — and why its deep tech firms really feel squeezed between competing pressures — it’s price inspecting how different main tech hubs regulate working hours.

In Germany, the UK, and France, normal workweeks sometimes vary from 33 to 48 hours. In Australia and Canada, the usual workweek is 38 and 40 hours, respectively, with obligatory extra time pay, providing a steadiness between labor rights and office flexibility.

Within the U.S., the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) units a standard 40-hour workweek. Non-exempt staff earn time-and-a-half for any extra time, and there’s no restrict on whole hours. (In California, the foundations solely require double-time pay for sure extra time.)

In China, the usual work schedule can also be 40 hours per week, or 8 hours a day. Additional time is paid at greater charges: roughly 150% of normal pay on weekdays, 200% on weekends, and 300% on public holidays. In Japan, the usual workweek is 40 hours, with limits of 45 hours of extra time per 30 days and 370 hours per 12 months underneath regular circumstances. Employers who exceed these limits can face fines and administrative penalties, as in different international locations.

Singapore’s workweek is barely longer at 44 hours, with a most of 72 extra time hours per 30 days. If unfold evenly, that’s roughly 62 hours per week. Additional time pay charges are comparable: 1.5 instances for weekdays, 2 instances for relaxation days, and three instances for public holidays.

South Korea’s 52-hour cap sits in the midst of this spectrum, stricter than the U.S. and Singapore however extra versatile than a lot of Europe. Both means, for deep tech founders competing globally, the query isn’t simply in regards to the quantity — it’s about whether or not inflexible weekly limits can accommodate the extreme, uneven workflows that characterize early-stage R&D.