박용진 “3대 메가프로젝트 뒷받침, 규제 개혁 필요”

President's appointed Regulatory Reform Committee’s Deputy Chairman, 박용진, stated on 26th that starting with the 메가특구 프로젝트 and 메가특구특별법, South Korea would bring about significant change. Regarding the 52-hour exception controversy of 메가특구특별법, he mentioned it should be discussed primarily among small and medium-sized enterprises and startups with heavy seasonal demand.

Addressing the '3대 메가프로젝트' underway in his speech at 한겨레 월례 정책조찬회 '새 시대를 여는 아침' in Seoul's Jung-gu, he emphasized that the government's regulatory policy aims at these mega-projects. The 메가특구특별법 empowers 파격적 support for national strategic projects including AI, semiconductors, etc. He warned of the need for regulatory reform in crucial sectors like robots and autonomous vehicles, noting the possibility of robots delivering food and entering parks in the near future.

He stressed that large-scale city experimentation is necessary for meaningful data learning and real driving in autonomous vehicles. As for '개별 규제를 하나하나 풀면 시간이 걸리니, 통째로 풀고 지원하는 것이 메가특구법', he explained that excluding the 52-hour limit on research and development and expanding the period for temporary workers, labor regulations are softened.

However, this has raised concerns among labor circles. He noted that the government's proposed labor reforms might be undermined if the public perceives 52-hour workweeks as beneficial. He cautioned about the potential negative impact on niche industries and startups if the focus shifts towards large corporations. Lastly, he stated, "Agencies should modify policies if their intended effects are not achieved, and unintended consequences arise," regarding 중대재해처벌법 and 노란봉투법.