The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) is receiving extreme backlash from citizens following its recent 69-hour workweek proposal. In the wake of COVID-19, mankind has moved into cyberspace in droves, which offers greater flexibility in working hours. Dozens of firms have even been jumping on the 4-day workweek bandwagon, but South Korea seems to be far behind when it comes to employee welfare. This month, the government called for modification in working hours, specifically to raise the maximum working hours to 69 hours a week, up from the current 52 hours. The proposal fueled intensive societal debate among millennial employees and Generation Z workers regarding work–life balance.
Policy Objective
The policy objective is to promote the work–life balance of employees and enhance economic productivity. Theoretically, employees would be able to bank their time at one’s convenience and take longer vacations or leaves. However, such an idea seems counterintuitive since it does not apply to 88 percent of the South Korean labor market; in other words, for small-and-medium-sized companies. These companies have been facing worker shortages, which brings us back to the question “Who will do my job on my day off?” Clearly, employees would be able to “work” more, but the real question is whether the policy takes into consideration one’s “well-being” as well. Moreover, in the workhour reformation plan announced on March 6, modifications regarding the inclusive wage system were recognized as well in order to prevent the abuse of working without payment.
The prevalence of workaholism in South Korea is extreme, though the country has sufficient labor productivity to be a leisure society. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), South Korea’s working hours in 2021 already exceeded the average by 199 hours. A workaholic culture is prevalent nationwide, with the nation
The Reality of Work Leaves
Contrary to the policy objective to achieve flexibility in work hours for extended leaves, the workplace environment in South Korea is not in favor of long leaves. Despite increased parental leaves and reinforcement in labor supervision, small-and-medium-sized company workers express discontentment regarding how they are in a blind spot of the policy. According to the Monthly Forum on Low Fertility and Ageing Society held on the first of this month, the number of parental leave users per 1,000 workers was 13.7 for large companies and 6.9 for small-and medium-sized companies this year. Despite large companies only constituting 12 percent of the labor market, parental leaves were only used by large company workers due to shortage in the working population. Moreover, men constituted only 28.9 percent of total parental leave users, with only 10.3 percent using shortened working hours during childcare. This demonstrates the working environment in South Korea where workers are not encouraged to use their leaves. According to a small-and-medium-sized company worker, only people who are planning on quitting their jobs sooner or later used their parental leaves. Contrary to large companies where one’s absence can be replaced, small-and-medium-sized company employees find it impossible to step out of their jobs due to shortage in the working population. Therefore, employees are calling for effective measures that will benefit those working for smaller companies.
Abuse of the Inclusive Wage System
Another ongoing issue related to work in Korea is the inclusive wage system. This is a salary payment system where the employer determines the total wages, including statutory allowances such as overtime, night, and holiday work allowances in consideration of job characteristics and convenience for calculating wages. In this system, a fixed wage in which statutory allowances are included is given to employees every month. The system is used at certain workplaces where it is difficult to accurately measure working hours owing to the characteristics of the job. A janitor can be one of the jobs affected by this system; janitors' work schedule is very flexible, and thus their working hours are sometimes unmeasurable. In addition, those who get paid depending on their performance are also under the influence of the system. Many special jobs such as columnists, maintenance engineers, and TF members working in management get paid on this system. Since the pay in such occupations is usually measured by their performance rather than working hours, the inclusive system is preferred in terms of efficiency and convenience. However, the system is legally prohibited at workplaces where working hours are measurable or manageable.
The issue of heavy workload in Korea became worse after the introduction of the inclusive wage system. According to the 2020 report by the MOEL, 37.7 percent of companies paid their employees based on the inclusive wage system, which is an incredibly high figure. This resulted in many workers working overtime without getting paid accordingly, leaving them unmotivated. The survey conducted in December 2022 by Gapjil119, a civic organization, also shows the negative aspects of the system. Of the 1,000 respondents, 32 percent said that they frequently work overtime, yet do not get paid properly because of the system. The survey suggests that many companies abuse the system, forcing employees to work additional hours than they are supposed to. However, it is difficult for employees to tackle such situations because of the contract they signed, which clearly states that the pay is based on the inclusive wage system. As such, the inclusive wage system has been one of the main factors that burden workers in Korea.
Recently, there has been increasing debate on the abolition of the inclusive wage system. Many people argue that the system has to be abolished, referring to it as a major cause of overtime work and worsening work–life balance in Korea. Actually, the 69-hours-a-week proposal was the trigger of the debate regarding abolition. With the proposal drawing huge criticism, people began to discuss the inclusive wage system as well, which greatly contributed to the current heavy workload in Korea. “The abolition of the inclusive system is the top priority. That system is the main culprit for overwork,” Gapjil119 stated. Kwon Nam-pyo, a labor attorney in Gapjil119, added, “The system neutralizes the veto to working overtime. It is urgent to abolish the policy.” Taking these opinions into consideration, the government seems to be examining the effectiveness of the inclusive system. This has triggered speculation as to whether the system will be abolished.
Living to Work, not Working to Live
The term “kwarosa” refers to “death from overwork,” in Korean. They (Koreans) work an average of 1,915 hours a year, according to figures from OECD. The OECD average is 1,716 hours. ‘Kwarosa’ is a Korean term used for sudden death due to heart failure or a stroke as a result of extreme hard work. In October 2020, 14 South Korean delivery workers died of overwork,” ABC News, an Australian media, reported. This article came as a huge surprise to South Korea because of the word “kwarosa.”ABC News directly used the term “kwarosa” instead of “death from overwork.” This signifies the fact that death from overwork indeed exists in South Korea, whereas it rarely occurs in countries like Australia. “Kwarosa” is the true story in South Korea.
In Seoul, a janitor who worked for 62 hours in a row died of myocardial infarction on March 3, 2023. He was reportedly unable to get off from work and got stuck in a building for four days. He was carried to a hospital after being found by a security guard of the building, but he died at a hospital within two hours. The bereaved family demands the government to acknowledge that the reason for his death was overwork, not natural causes. According to the testimony from the security guard, who found the janitor, he had to work from March 5th to 9th due to a workforce shortage. He left home carrying a blanket, saying “I will be back home on March 9, so do not lock up the door.” However, that was the last time that the family saw him. The management denied that the cause of death was overwork and gave the family consolation money. This incident discloses the dark reality of working environments in Korea, although it is an extreme case.
According to a report by Yong Hae-in, member of the National Assembly, 2,503 people died from overwork over the past five years, translating to more than 500 people per year. This figure is the result of the analysis from 2017 to 2021. More people would have died from overwork, as this figure may exclude those who are not subject to mandatory industrial accident insurance such as the self-employed. In addition, it has been found that the major cause of death was suicide, which also reflects to what extent people have been overwhelmed by excessive work. However, overwork appears to be so prevalent and common in Korea that people tend to take it for granted. “Working until late at night is very common. Sometimes the workload is so heavy that I am not able to get things done on time, or I just could not get off from work because of the pressure from superiors who forced me to continue to work. It is an implicit rule that everyone is required to follow at work,” an office worker L said.
Time for Changes
In recent days, Koreans have begun paying attention to a more balanced life and are seeking a better working environment. The younger generation is now inclined to stay at workplaces where their autonomy is respected. They value their time so much while giving lesser importance to pay, unlike the older generation. Nevertheless, there is a long way to go as the death of the janitor shows. How can “kwarosa” be stopped then? The case of Japan can be a great precedent, by presenting how to deal with the current problem. Japan is the first country where the term “kwarosa” was coined. As many people died from overwork in Japan, the country took legal action to prevent death from overwork, starting in 2014. Japan defined work from death as “murder” by the country in its legal system, and thus the country is responsible for all deaths from overwork. The country reinforced punishment for companies that break designated working hours and tracked working hours at every company. Furthermore, Japan holds various activities aiming to prevent death from overwork and improve the working environments. Many organizations have been formed with support from the government. A nationwide center was established to prevent death from overwork, and studies on prevention of death from overwork has been continuously conducted. This effort resulted in a significant decrease in death from work incidents. As of 2020, the number of people who died from overwork decreased about 30 percent in comparison to 2012.
The biggest takeaway from the success of Japan is how the country addressed the issue of death from work. The country directly associated death from overwork with human rights. Nationwide efforts were made to prevent death from work, which enabled the country to make huge progress within a short period of time. Therefore, to save people from kwarosa, the Korean government needs to actively take action. Korea has neglected the heavy workload problem over a long time. However, death from overwork is not a personal business anymore. It is urgent for the country to take a big step now.
This article is written by Lee Seung-bum (okok3037@naver.com) and Kim Ryoung-kyoung (ryoung0809@uos.ac.kr)