Dear Saranghamnida, the reason why I am outraged by the extension of working hours

In the early days of capitalism,
there were times when children not even ten years old were sold off,
chained to machines,
and forced to labor all hours except for eating and sleeping.
There were times when people entered narrow tunnels and worked for 18 hours.
Seeing that is why Marx thought a revolution was necessary.
Although it has been proven that his theory of revolution was wrong,
if I had been born in that era and witnessed such labor,
I too would have wanted to revolt.
Since then, how many workers' lives have been sacrificed
to secure the 40-hour work week?
Even now, people die from overwork,
but in those days, it was simply life.
The 40-hour work week was established
as a minimum standard
to allow people to enjoy leisure,
regain the energy to work again,
and have time to spend with their families.
If there are truly unavoidable circumstances,
the logic was that up to 52 hours could be permitted,
but the framework of the 40-hour week must not be broken.
That is the background behind why the 52-hour week was created.
I have done every job,
from being an owner to manual labor.
In electrical construction, 6-day work weeks are still common.
Working 6 days a week, crawling on floors and climbing ceilings,
you can do nothing during your one day off;
you just sleep or rest all day.
No matter what your family says, there is nothing you can do.
Fire safety inspections are done at night from 11 PM to 4 AM.
And then you have to do paperwork during the day.
You only know once you have lived like this.
You understand why the 40-hour week is precious
and why the limit of the 52-hour week is important.
Currently, I only work three days a week,
but even if I forget those days,
I can never accept working hours
that ignore the 40-hour principle
or break the 52-hour limit.
If you do not provide the basics for a person to live as a human being,
what is the point of paying a lot of money?
I am still boycotting Coupang.
Because I believe that the person dying
from night shifts and excessive labor
could be me.
The 40-hour work week
and the 52-hour limit
were truly won through the struggles of many people,
and they are principles that the Democratic Party has upheld for decades.
Whether it is industrialization, mega-projects,
future growth engines, or AI,
a system that sacrifices the humans of the present
for the sake of future hope
is not democracy, in my opinion.
I believe that if it is the Democratic Party, they must protect those principles
with their lives.
Even during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, I vehemently opposed
the extension of working hours.
If it had been implemented, I would have taken to the streets as well.
I do not think Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party
would be any different.
If it is implemented, I intend to take to the streets again.
If you have something you want to say,
please contact me.
Since I know you live far away
and I know you dislike meeting in person,
I will only leave my number.
010 5504 5613
I do not use profanity over the phone.
Unless you curse at me first,
I will speak to you calmly.
As an old man.