In a recent investigation spanning from October last year to last month, South Korea's Ministry of Labor announced alarming findings regarding labor law violations in manufacturing facilities. A total of 45 workplaces, including 30 shift work facilities and 15 those implementing special extended work hours, were scrutinized for excessive working hours. The results revealed that more than half of these establishments failed to adhere to the legal limit of 52 hours per week, which has been in effect since July 2018. The Ministry identified a staggering 243 instances of labor law violations, including breaches of work hour regulations and non-payment of various allowances.

Highlighting the severity of this issue, one company producing steel pipes was found to have about 51% of its workforce, amounting to 197 employees, working an average of 64.5 hours per week for over eight and a half months. Similarly, another company producing energy storage devices had approximately 48.3% of its staff, totaling 159 workers, clocking an average of 56.7 hours per week for 38 weeks. The majority of the violations were found within the night shifts, revealing that these workers, already vulnerable to occupational hazards, are subject to overwork, heightening their risk of workplace injuries and health issues.

The Ministry's investigation also exposed that many employers failed to implement necessary health management measures for night shift workers, a critical oversight given the heightened risk of overwork and adverse health effects. Among the 45 workplaces inspected, 12 did not perform the mandated special health examinations for night workers, and eight failed to assess the risk of heart and brain conditions. This report underlines not only the endurance of labor law violations in South Korea but also the urgent need for more robust enforcement and workplace protections for vulnerable workers, especially in high-risk environments like manufacturing.