Working hours in South Korea
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Working hours in South Korea define the length of time workers are allowed to be on the job in South Korea. In the 1960s, South Korea began to transform itself from an agricultural economy to an industrial, service and high-tech-oriented economy.[2] Since then, the country's per capita GDP increased from US$100 in 1963 to US$35,300 in 2014, turning South Korea into the 20th largest economy in the world.[2] In the process, work hours increased. According to OECD figures, annual working hour levels in South Korea were at 1,872/worker in 2023.[3] As a consequence, Korea now ranks 5th on OECD ranking, compared to 1,810 annual hours in the US, 1,607 in Japan, 1,531 in the UK, and 1,340 in Germany (the lowest among OECD countries).[3]
Koreans work such long hours, among other reasons, because of the Korean industrial system and nighttime culture. South Korea's corporate culture resembles that of Japan–hierarchical and with significant subcontracting, both factors increasing working hours.[4] Even though Korea has a statutory limit working week of 40 hours/week, also allowing for 12 hours of paid overtime on weekdays and 16 hours on weekends, manufacturing companies such as the automobile industry operate at a non-stop basis.[5] In addition, cafes, transportation, pubs, restaurants, private study rooms, shopping malls, and fast food restaurants also operate continuously.[6] Although the Labor Standard Act has previously sets statutory limits, enforcement is weak and employers routinely violate the Act.
Those searching for a work to life balance have argued that a reduction in the hours in an average workday would lead to an enhancement in the current work to life balance of Korean workers. However, those changes would require a substantial transformation of the Korean corporate culture (Beech 2020).
Work life balance is becoming increasingly harder to achieve for working class citizens, particularly people with families.