The Evolution of South Korea’s Work Culture: A Deep Dive into Extended Working Hours

Understanding South Korea’s Work Culture

Times Insider offers a glimpse into the essence of our organization, revealing the intricate processes that shape our journalism. Throughout my formative years, I experienced life in both the United States and Canada, yet I have spent my entire adult life in South Korea. This journey has allowed me to observe a profound difference in work attitudes between these regions. In North America, it seems that individuals seek jobs that ignite their passions and align with their interests. Conversely, in South Korea, there is a strong emphasis on securing positions that carry prestige and are well-regarded.

In my role as a reporter based in The New York Times’ Seoul bureau, I have extensively covered the nation’s fiercely competitive education system. It is perhaps unsurprising that South Korea’s workplace culture mirrors this intensity. An abundance of data exists to highlight the long hours that employees often endure, supported by countless anecdotes. However, the revelation that the country’s largest corporations are officially advocating for extended working hours for managers—particularly in light of economic downturns—adds a compelling layer to this narrative.

This issue of longer working hours first came to my attention in the spring. Through various online forums and later through local news outlets, I uncovered that several influential South Korean companies were not only endorsing longer hours but also encouraging managers to report to the office six days a week.

Rich Barbieri, the deputy business editor in Seoul, approached me with the idea of exploring this development further. The situation presented an opportunity to delve deeper into South Korea’s current and historical labor laws, using this news as a hook for a comprehensive piece. This reflective style of journalism, which incorporates real voices and personal experiences, is what I enjoy most about my reporting. I believe that by telling these stories, we maintain our humanity in the pursuit of chronicling contemporary events for future generations.

The initial step in my reporting process was to identify companies willing to publicly discuss their policies regarding extended working hours for managers. As many business journalists can attest, gaining insights from reticent corporate spokespeople can be quite challenging. I reached out to several companies to verify the information. It required persistent efforts; for one particular company, I made nearly a dozen phone calls before securing any formal comments. Eventually, a company that agreed to provide a statement revealed that one of its divisions had been underperforming in recent months, prompting executives and leadership to step in and work longer hours—essentially, they were expected to rescue the situation.

Another critical aspect of my article was to find an individual who had experienced the work environment in South Korea both before and after 2004, the year when the standard workweek was officially limited to five days. I aimed to connect with someone who could articulate the evolution of the nation’s work culture, especially during a time when the norm was to work more than five days a week.