The New Policy Aims
to Enrich People’s Lives

As the hands of the clock point to six, company computers are automatically shut down. Workers can now clock out and then go home. Some head straight home for time with their loved ones, while others enjoy the evening dining out, attending classes or watching movies.

This relaxed evening after work is becoming common here in Korea, a country that has worked too hard and too long. Since the government executed a new labor law on July 1 that caps the workweek for employees at 52 hours ─ including 12 hours of overtime ─ from the former maximum of 68 hours, people are now relishing what’s called weo-la-bael, a catchphrase that means “a balance between work and life.”

Korea’s Long Hours
Take a Toll on People’s Lives

The new labor policy, which started as a first step with companies that have more than 300 employees, followed a series of work-related deaths from inhumanely long working hours and stress from work, deaths from overwork that have long reverberated across society.

Realizing that things needed to change, the Moon Jae-in administration introduced the new measures to change the way people are chronically forced to overwork. Currently, more than one month since the new law, many changes are being made across many industries. Museums, exhibitions and theaters are enjoying a growing number of visitors who call it a day earlier at work. A lot of department stores, gyms, art and music academies are also increasing programs to attract people looking for after-work activities. “Since the new 52-hour workweek policy took effect, we’ve seen a hike in membership,” said Lee Soo-jin, a yoga instructor in Seoul.

On top of that, the new mandate seems to be creating what President Moon Jae-in had hoped for: more jobs. Reduced working hours have created 9,775 jobs at as many as 813 of the companies affected by the new law, out of a total of 3,627 companies across the country, according to data released on July 25 by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to the Environment and Employment Committee. The data also show that these companies plan to hire 20,036 more employees.

Some Are Hopeful for Change, While Others Are Cautious and Worried

Loopholes still exist. The reduced work hours are already having a huge impact on people’s eating habits. Instead of dining at restaurants to relieve stress from overtime, or instead of company dinners that are regarded as being part of work, people are more likely to eat at home with their loved ones. Distress over this change among restaurant owners was evident at a local pub in Seoul on July 26 when President Moon Jae-in unexpectedly popped in to listen to the people in-person about their lives. “As forced overtime has been decreasing since the new measure, there’s been a big drop-off in our orders at night,” said Byeon Yang-hee who runs a lunchbox business.

The legal reduction in working hours will be phased in for smaller businesses with fewer employees in 2020. Until then, the government is listening more closely to people who might suffer from the change, and is coming up with countermeasures to compensate them for their suffering.

However, most people see the mandated reduced weekly work hours as long overdue. Workers in Korea have one of the longest workweeks in the rich world, according to OECD statistics. The stats show that people here worked on average 2,024 hours in 2017, 265 more hours than the OECD average of 1,759 hours. In line with this, findings from the National Assembly Budget Office show that a decrease in weekly work hours by 1 percent can increase labor productivity by 0.79 percent.

Hopefully, this new move will reduce stress and increase productivity. More importantly, this will allow people more family or friend time. The good news is that the 52-hour workweek is helping the nation break away from society of overwork, slowly but surely.