Ruling Party and Government to Submit Mega Special Zones Act in September, Accelerate Legislation Within the Year

"Legislation to Begin as a Member's Bill, with Party Endorsement to Follow"

"Further Discussions Planned on White-Collar Exemption"

The Democratic Party of Korea and the government announced on September 4, 2026, that they would introduce the "Mega Special Zones Act"—a legislative framework to support 'mega projects'—within the month and seek to have it passed by the National Assembly within the year. However, how to reflect the controversial 'white-collar exemption' (an exception to the 52-hour workweek rule) in the bill will be discussed further.

The Democratic Party's Mega Project and Regional Growth Special Committee held a party-government consultation at the National Assembly that day, during which Policy Coordination Office Chief Lim Kigeun briefed the committee on the government's draft and articles of the Mega Special Zones Act.

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Donghae Lee is speaking at the party-government meeting of the Mega Growth Special Committee held on September 4 at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. 2026.9.4 eastsea@yna.co.kr (End)

Jang Cheolmin, secretary of the special committee, told reporters after the consultation that "we expect the bill will be submitted within September." Jang explained, "Instead of initially submitting the bill as a party-backed policy, it will first be introduced as a member's bill in the National Policy Committee, allowing stakeholders, the public, and members of the National Assembly to participate in the drafting process. After strengthening the bill's completeness, we will proceed with formal party endorsement." The bill is expected to be sponsored by Park Sanghyuk, the Democratic Party lawmaker who serves as secretary of the National Policy Committee.

Regarding the main issue of the Mega Special Zones Act—the white-collar exemption to the 52-hour workweek rule—Jang stated, "There is no specific article in the draft that clearly sets out such an exemption."

However, he added, "The government's consideration is how to formulate a Korean-style version of the white-collar exemption into legal terms." He continued, "It would be inappropriate to elaborate on specific provisions at this point, as premature disclosure could create confusion compared to the finalized bill to be introduced. At this moment, it's difficult to provide a clear answer to this question."

In his opening remarks, Democratic Party leader Kim Minseok emphasized, "For the mega growth initiative, five axes—central government, local government, the National Assembly, local assemblies, and civil society—must move together. In reality, only the party can play the coordinating role among these five."

Kwon Chilsung, the party's policy chief, stated, "We are well aware of the concerns raised by organized labor regarding (corporate) labor-related benefits in the (special zones). To balance regulatory innovation that enhances corporate competitiveness with the protection of labor rights, a process of social grand compromise is needed that gathers the opinions of all involved."

Meanwhile, representing the government at the party-government consultation were Policy Coordination Office Chief Lim, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sinhak, and Lee Byunghun, acting chairman of the Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development.

The Mega Special Zones Act was initially discussed in the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Venture Business Committee, but the Democratic Party appears to be moving to sponsor it via the National Policy Committee instead. Currently, the Industry, Trade, SMEs and Ventures Committee is chaired by Kim Sungwon of the People Power Party, raising concerns that the government's and ruling party's goal to enact the Mega Special Zones Act within the year could be delayed if the opposition does not cooperate. The National Policy Committee is chaired by Yoo Dongsoo of the Democratic Party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.