Gyeonggi Province is launching South Korea's first pilot four-and-a-half-day workweek program with the goal of enhancing work-life balance, quality of life, happiness, and addressing the declining birth rate. The province has initially allocated 250 million won ($186,971) for the program, as part of a yearly investment of 10 billion won for the initiative. Governor Kim Dong-yeon announced plans to lead efforts in reducing working hours without reducing pay for employees in the province, which is home to 26.6 percent of Korea's population. The current standard workweek in the country is five days with a maximum of 52 hours per week, including 40 regular work hours and up to 12 hours of overtime. The pilot project involves 50 private companies and public organizations in the province experimenting with reduced working hours in three ways: some are adopting a four-day workweek every other week, others are moving to a 35-hour workweek, and some are working a half day every Friday. Participating companies can select one of these options, with the provincial government covering the wage gap resulting from the reduction in working hours. Once the budget is finalized and approved by the provincial assembly, the five-month pilot for new working hours will begin in October at participating workplaces. The project aims to provide a foundation for expanding policy measures, determining suitable industrial sectors for the new workweek system, and devising effective ways to encourage wider participation, despite some criticism and concerns from provincial council members.