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More oppose 4 1/2-day workweek than support it, survey finds

Published: 02 Oct. 2025, 19:15

Streets of Myeongdong are filled with visitors on Sept. 29. [YONHAP]

Nearly twice the number of people were against the government's so-called four-and-a-half-day workweek than were for it, a new survey revealed on Thursday.

In the National Barometer Survey conducted from Monday to Wednesday by Embrain Public, KSTAT Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research on 1,003 adults nationwide, 63 percent of respondents said they opposed the plan, compared to 32 percent who said they supported it.

Across all age groups, opposition outweighed support, with people in their 60s and older recording opposition rates above 70 percent. By occupation, housewives, self-employed people and blue-collar workers showed relatively higher opposition. By political affiliation, Democratic Party supporters were nearly evenly split — 49 percent in favor and 46 percent against — while 86 percent of People Power Party supporters opposed the plan.

The four-and-a-half-day workweek was one of President Lee Jae Myung’s key presidential campaign pledges and is included in the administration’s list of 123 national policy tasks. The government plans to pursue legislation within the year to reduce actual working hours.

In the same survey, respondents were divided on whether Chief Justice Jo Hee-de should attend a National Assembly confirmation hearing. 43 percent said it was necessary to resolve suspicions, while 41 percent said it would excessively infringe on judicial independence.

The poll was conducted through telephone interviews using virtual mobile phone numbers. It had a response rate of 15.6 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Further details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]