IT Committee Opposes Ministry of Culture's Push to Expand Discretionary Work System for Game Industry

gamemeca Ⅰ Kim Mi Hee 2026.05.28 14:54 UTC+9

TL;DR (2-3 Sentence Summary)

The IT Committee of the Korean Chemical, Fiber, Food Industries Union, part of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, announced its opposition on April 30th to the 'discussion on expanding the discretionary work system in the game industry' mentioned at the '2nd Meeting of the Game Division of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Policy Advisory Committee' by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Ministry stated at the meeting that as part of the flexibility of the 52-hour workweek in the game sector, it would consult with the Ministry of Employment and Labor on expanding the discretionary work system under the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act from its current application to programmers to various roles such as planning and graphics.

전국화학섬유식품산업노동조합 IT위원회 관계자들이 입장을 발표했다(사진제공: IT위원회) — ▲ The logo of the IT Committee of the Korean Federation of Chemical, Fiber and Food Industries Unions (KFCFFIU). (Photo courtesy: KFCFFIU)

The IT Committee of the Korean Federation of Chemical, Fiber and Food Industries Unions (KFCFFIU) has voiced its opposition to the 'expansion of discretionary work system discussions' mentioned by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) during the '2nd Meeting of the Game Division of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee' on April 30th.

During the meeting, the MCST stated that as part of the flexibilisation of the 52-hour work week in the game sector, they would discuss with the Ministry of Employment and Labor the possibility of expanding the discretionary work system, currently applied to programmers under the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act, to include various roles such as planning and graphics.

In response, the IT Committee has labelled this a dangerous attempt to re-disseminate the practice of 'crunch mode' (prolonged intense labour) throughout the industry. It's worth noting that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), under the World Health Organization (WHO), classifies night work as a 'Group 2A carcinogen', and crunch mode in the game industry typically involves months of regular overtime, all-nighters, and weekend work to meet release schedules.

Furthermore, the discretionary work system is originally intended for exceptional cases where 'the method of performing work needs to be left to the worker's discretion.' However, in game development, roles like planning and graphics are heavily dependent on project timelines and directives from management.

The IT Committee sharply criticised that the implementation of the discretionary work system would inevitably become a legal loophole for 'unlimited labour.' They pointed out that there have been persistent reports from the field about the discretionary work system for programmers already being twisted into a tool for 'free overtime.'

Moreover, the push to expand the discretionary work system directly contradicts President Lee Jae-myung's pledge for a '4.5-day work week.' President Lee Jae-myung has presented the reduction of working hours as a core state agenda, promising the 'phased introduction of a 4.5-day work week,' and Gyeonggi Province is already pursuing a pilot program for this initiative.

Despite this, the IT Committee asserts that the MCST's pursuit of measures that effectively extend working hours under the guise of 'strengthening the competitiveness of the game industry' is a self-contradiction, directly opposing the direction of labour policy within the same government.

Regarding the expansion of the discretionary work system in the game industry, the IT Committee stated, "The resurgence of K-games is not achieved by grinding down our workers. If the game industry, which accounts for over 60% of content export value, is to be a pillar, it is only right that the health and quality of life of the workers who create those achievements are prioritised."

Oh Se-yoon, the IT Committee Chairperson, had previously emphasised during the '2026 Joint Demands Interim Report Meeting' on March 26th, "We need to distinguish between tasks that AI tools can handle and those that humans must do, and IT workers should focus on creative tasks where humans excel. To achieve this, we need to reduce working hours." He further stressed that reducing working hours to a 4.5-day week and using that capacity to expand new and junior hiring is the only way to ensure the industry's sustainability in the AI era.

Finally, the IT Committee highlighted the absence of representatives for game workers in the game division meeting of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee. They stated that unilaterally collecting opinions only from the employer side and packaging it as an 'industry long-awaited task' cannot be considered genuine on-site communication.

In response, the IT Committee has put forth three demands to the MCST: ▲ Halt the expansion of the discretionary work system to additional job groups ▲ Ensure the participation of IT and game labour unions in discussions regarding the flexibilisation of the 52-hour work week in the game sector ▲ Review measures for the introduction of a 4.5-day work week that align with the government's policy of reducing working hours.

Meanwhile, the IT Committee encompasses labour unions from major IT and game companies, starting with the Naver branch in 2018, and including Nexon, Kakao, Netmarble, Smilegate, NCSoft, and Webzen.

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This news was translated by AI.

Kim Mi Hee, Reporter

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IT Committee Opposes Ministry of Culture's Push to Expand Discretionary Work System for Game Industry