Tag: working hours

working hours

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Korea worked 32 hours less last year but remains higher than OECD average

Koreans worked 32 fewer hours in 2025, but the annual total remained 97 hours above the OECD average and sixth highest among reporting members.

2026.7.5

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon speaks at the kickoff meeting of the task force for reducing actual working hours at the LW Convention Center in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 24. [YONHAP]

Gov't launches task force with unions, business leaders on 4.5-day workweek

The government launched a task force with unions, business leaders and experts on Wednesday to chart a road map toward a 4.5-day workweek. The government plans to submit legislation based on the road map within the year.

2025.9.24

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Daily working hours dip slightly in 2024 under 52-hour workweek system

The average daily working hours of Korean wage earners fell slightly in 2024 compared to five years earlier, following the nationwide implementation of the 52-hour workweek system, according to a government survey.

2025.7.28

A Starbucks store in Seoul on Feb. 12 [YONHAP]

Wait, why is Starbucks suddenly open until 10 p.m.?

Starbucks Korea has begun extending store hours and offering steep discounts as competition in the coffee market heats up due to the rise of low-cost rivals.

2025.5.12

A notice attached on the door of a private clinic in Seongnam, Gyeonggi informs patients of reduced service hours on Monday. [NEWS1]

Doctors limit service hours to protest admissions hike

Doctors across Korea limit their service hours starting Monday in protest of the government’s plan to expand the medical school admissions quota, hindering access to health care.

2024.4.1

Office buildings in downtown Seoul turned their lights on in the evening last November. [NEWS1]

52-hour workweek is reducing overtime work, study shows

Korea's 52-hour workweek has led to a decline in overtime work, according to a new study from the Korea Enterprises Foundation.

2024.2.15

A job notice posted at an employment center in Jung District, central Seoul [NEWS1]

Employers, labor activists clash over Supreme Court overtime ruling

A new Supreme Court ruling stipulates that work hours, under the Labor Standards Act, should be calculated per week rather than per day, with large implications for overtime calculations and workers' rights.

2023.12.26

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions officials protesting to the government's working hour reform plan at the union's headquarters in central Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

Workweek reform hurts public support for Yoon, PPP

In his first meeting since returning from Japan, President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered his staff to come up with measures to reduce public anxiety over working hour reform.

2023.3.20

Lee Jung-sik, labor minister, announces the government's working hour reform at the government complex in Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

52-hour-workweek rules to be tweaked if bill passes

The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday announced the proposal, saying that it hopes the new law will allow for more flexibility and give companies more options, especially small companies.

2023.3.6

Younger workers welcome longer shifts, more days off

A fresh wind is blowing in the manufacturing industry, with more workers willing to work overnight and take a few more days off instead. The new working system is largely favored by younger workers, though safety issues remain to be tackled. Since...

2023.2.17