Thu Sep 04 23:11:47 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summarized news article based on the provided text:
**South Korea Embraces Shorter Work Weeks in Bid for Better Work-Life Balance**
**Seoul, South Korea** – South Korea, long known for its demanding work culture, is increasingly embracing shorter work weeks as companies and the government seek to improve the work-life balance of its citizens. Pilot programs and policy changes are underway to explore the feasibility and benefits of four-day or four-and-a-half-day workweeks.
One notable example is Severance Hospital in Seoul, which trialed a four-day workweek for some of its nurses. The program, which allowed employees to take three days off per week in exchange for a 10% pay reduction, has shown promising results, including improved nurse wellbeing, reduced turnover, and enhanced quality of care, according to a report by the Korea Worker Institute-Union Center.
The shift towards shorter work weeks is gaining traction across various sectors. IT companies and startups have been experimenting with reduced workdays for years, and major conglomerates like Samsung, SK Group, and Kakao are also introducing programs that offer employees periodic breaks. Cafe24, leading e-commerce solutions provider, implemented a full four-day workweek. Even the Gyeonggi Province is piloting a four-and-a-half-day workweek without wage cuts among local governments
President Lee Jae-myung has pledged to cut working hours below the OECD average by 2030, further fueling the movement.
While proponents like nurse Go Kyoung-min and Kakao VX employee Lee Jae-ho tout the benefits of increased family time, reduced stress, and improved productivity, some experts and business leaders express concerns about potential impacts on productivity, labour costs, and South Korea’s global competitiveness, especially considering the low birthrate, sluggish economy, and challenges to its global competitiveness. Kwon Young-sik, director of human resources at Yonsei University Health System, has said permanently shifting to a four-day workweek would cost about 100 million won ($720) per ward in labour costs alone. Park Nam-gyoo, a business professor at Seoul National University, is concerned about productivity and disparities in the labour market if a four-and-a-half-day workweek became the norm.
Despite the challenges, supporters remain optimistic that a shift to shorter work weeks will ultimately bring positive changes to South Korean society, mirroring the successful transition to a five-day workweek in the past.
First Piper 