Members of the Future Labor Market Research Association announce their labor reform policy proposals in a news conference in Seoul in this photo provided by the labor ministry, Dec. 12. Yonhap

The direction of the Yoon Suk-yeol government's labor reform policy has become more concrete with a focus on overhauling the rigid 52-hour workweek and strengthening the performance-based pay system.

The 52-hour workweek law introduced in 2018 during the previous Moon Jae-in government to prevent overwork mandates that overtime work cannot exceed 12 hours a week to cap the total hours at 52.

Yoon has criticized the 52-hour workweek as "unrealistic" in consideration of the various labor needs of different industries and unfit to keep up with workloads when demand is high or during peak season.

The Yoon government is set to increase flexibility in the 52-hour workweek in conformity with the characteristics of each industry and company, according to policy proposals released this week by a labor policy advisory group launched by Yoon in July.

The Future Labor Market Research Association advised that labor and management be allowed to manage overtime work hours on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly basis, in addition to the current weekly basis. In that case, it is arithmetically possible to work up to 69 hours per week.