The eyewear brand Gentle Monster issued an official apology over controversy about long hours of overwork and unpaid labor and said it would abolish the discretionary work system at the center of the issue.

IICOMBINED, the operator of Gentle Monster, on the 3rd released an apology under the name of CEO Kim Han-Guk, stating, “After reviewing the overall operation of our working environment, we clearly recognized that there were shortcomings,” and “We apologize to all employees who experienced inconvenience due to long hours of overwork and inadequate treatment.”

IICOMBINED emphasized, “We will immediately carry out a comprehensive overhaul of our labor system and compensation structure, including abolishing the discretionary work system,” adding, “We will actively reflect the opinions of labor inspection authorities and external experts.” It added, “We will make every effort to ensure these improvements are not one-off and that trust in our working environment can be rebuilt.”

IICOMBINED had been operating a ‘discretionary work system’ for some job categories. The discretionary work system is a scheme under which, only for roles that require worker autonomy such as design and computer development, the hours set by written agreement between labor and management are deemed working hours regardless of the actual time worked.

However, on the ground, employees claimed that management used the discretionary work system to make them work more than 70 hours a week and did not provide proper leave or compensation. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has also said it would examine whether the operation of the discretionary work system was appropriate.

In response, IICOMBINED decided to abolish the discretionary work system immediately and, starting this month, implement a selective working hours system under which members can autonomously adjust their start and end times according to their work schedules. In April, it plans to introduce a systematic HR and time and attendance management system and to provide regular training for department heads.

An IICOMBINED official said, “This is a measure to reduce unnecessary late-night work or overwork,” adding, “If overtime occurs, we will provide compensation with no discrepancies.”