A Korean office floor at night with a few monitors still lit, representing long working hours in Korea

Why Do Koreans Work So Late? Korean Working Hours Explained

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Korean working hours have fallen sharply, but they are still among the longest in the OECD. Koreans worked an average of 1,865 hours in 2024, according to OECD data, against an OECD aggregate of 1,741. The law caps a normal week at 52 hours: 40 regular hours plus up to 12 hours of overtime. The cap has exceptions, and long presence at the office is not the same as legal work time, which is why late nights persist.

Last updated: October 31, 2026

Key takeaways

  • On the OECD measure, Korean working hours averaged 1,865 hours per worker in 2024, down from 2,228 in 2008, a drop of 363 hours (about nine 40-hour weeks).
  • The legal limit is 40 hours plus 12 hours of overtime, and overtime, night work and holiday work carry a premium of at least 50%.
  • Exceptions exist: special extended work with ministry approval, a few special-case industries, and workplaces with fewer than five employees.
  • A lot of late presence (team dinners, waiting for the boss) is outside the legal definition of work, so the rule and the lived experience can differ.

Working hours at a glance: Korea’s legal limit on working hours is 52 per week: 40 regular hours plus up to 12 hours of overtime. Actual working hours have fallen by about 363 hours a year since 2008, but they remain among the longest in the OECD. Exceptions to the working hours cap exist, and unrecorded late presence such as team dinners or waiting for the boss means the law and daily life can differ. Working hours rules also depend on workplace size. The sections below give the numbers, the rules and the reasons.

How many hours do Koreans work a year? Korean working hours in numbers

An empty office meeting room late in the evening with a wall clock showing about ten

The most-quoted measure is the OECD’s “average annual hours actually worked per worker”. It divides total hours worked in the year by average employment, including overtime and the self-employed, and it leaves out holidays and leave. Pulled directly from the OECD data service for 2024:

Country Hours per worker, 2024
Mexico 2,215
Korea 1,865
United States 1,796
OECD aggregate 1,741
Japan 1,617
United Kingdom 1,538
France 1,509
Germany 1,334

Six OECD members had higher numbers than Korea in that dataset (Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Greece and Israel), so Korea was seventh highest among OECD members with data. The series for Korea shows a long decline: 2,228 hours in 2008, 2,163 in 2010, 1,966 in 2019 and 1,865 in 2024.

Two cautions. The OECD says these figures suit comparing a country’s own trend over time, not exact levels between countries, because national sources differ. And an average hides a spread: part-timers pull it down, while many full-time employees work more.

What does the law say about Korean working hours?

The Labor Standards Act (in force as of October 8, 2026) sets the core rules:

Rule What the law says
Normal hours (Art. 50) 40 hours a week and 8 hours a day, excluding breaks
Overtime (Art. 53) Up to 12 more hours a week by agreement, so 52 hours in total
Overtime and night premium (Art. 56) At least 50% extra on ordinary wages; night work is 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Holiday work (Art. 56) 50% extra for the first 8 hours, 100% extra beyond 8 hours
Flexible schedules (Arts. 51, 51-2, 52) Hours can be averaged over up to 3 or 6 months, but no single week may exceed 52 hours
Waiting time (Art. 50) Time spent under the employer’s direction, such as standby, counts as working time

On enforcement, the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said that after a Supreme Court ruling on December 7, 2023, it changed its interpretation from January 22, 2024: overtime including holiday work cannot exceed 12 hours in a week.

A worked example (illustration): suppose your ordinary hourly wage is 15,000 won (about US$10.70). Ten hours of overtime in a week pays 15,000 × 1.5 × 10 = 225,000 won (about US$160). Night work (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) carries its own 50% premium, so if you are unsure how your employer combines premiums, ask for the calculation in writing.

How did Korean working hours get capped at 52?

According to the OECD’s 2020 assessment of the reform, the old rules limited normal work to 40 hours but did not clearly count weekends as part of the week, so total weekly hours of up to 68 were possible. The reform cut the effective limit from 68 to 52 hours. It was phased in by company size, starting with workplaces of 300 or more employees in July 2018 and reaching those with 5 to 49 employees in July 2021. Before that, normal hours had been cut from 44 to 40 between 2004 and 2011.

The OECD found that in large firms the limit reduced the share of employees working more than 52 hours by roughly 5 percentage points. It also noted that very long hours remained common and that about two in five workers would remain outside the limit once fully in force (a projection for 2021). Its conclusion was that the reform was an important step, but that more effort was needed to change the long-hours culture.

What are the exceptions to the 52-hour limit on Korean working hours?

A Seoul office tower at night with many floors still lit
  • Special extended work. Under Article 53(4), an employer can extend overtime with the labor minister’s approval and the workers’ consent. In practice this means up to 12 further hours, for 64 in total. According to Seoul Economic Daily (October 23, 2026), approval normally lasts three months, and since last year up to six months for the semiconductor industry.
  • Special-case industries. Article 59 allows exceptions in a few sectors. As explained in MOEL’s 2018 guidance, the list was cut from 26 industries to five: land transport (excluding regular-route passenger buses), water transport, air transport, other transport services and health. Workers must get at least 11 consecutive hours of rest.
  • Small workplaces. Under MOEL’s counselling pages, Articles 50, 53 and 56 do not apply to workplaces with fewer than five regular employees, so the caps and premiums do not either.

This is why the issue keeps returning to the news. In October 2026 the government and ruling party were still discussing exemptions for semiconductors, according to Seoul Economic Daily, while business groups said the approval paperwork is too slow and labor groups asked why the system should be weakened when exceptions already exist. Treat it as a moving story, not settled law. On 27 October 2026 MoneyToday reported that the Ministry of Employment and Labor was examining decree revisions and simpler procedures for semiconductor R&D staff, with no measure finalized, while bills to add a 52-hour exception to a special economic zone law were before the National Assembly. Until a law or decree changes, the 52-hour cap applies.

So why do people still stay late?

If the law caps hours at 52, why are offices lit at night? Mostly because late presence is often not recorded as work. The OECD’s reform paper describes general mechanisms:

  1. Hours as a signal. If managers cannot easily see individual output, hours can stand in for effort in reviews and promotion.
  2. Employer power. Employers may set hours above what employees would choose if they had more bargaining power.
  3. Gaps in coverage. Some workers fall outside the limit.

Workplace culture adds layers: strict hierarchy (see why Korean coworkers use job titles instead of names), the entry-cohort system that ties careers to one company (see what a Korean entry cohort, or gisu, is) and the expectation of after-work events. Long hours start in school too (see why hagwons are so popular).

What do Korean working hours mean for you?

If you work in Korea:

  • Check your contract hours. The standard is 40 a week. More requires agreement and premium pay.
  • Ask about “comprehensive wage” contracts. Some employers bundle a set number of overtime hours into salary. Ask how many hours are included and what happens beyond them.
  • Keep your own record. Write down start and end times. If a dispute arises, your record helps.
  • Small workplace? If there are fewer than five regular employees, the statutory caps and premiums may not apply, so read the contract closely.
  • Questions or complaints: MOEL’s counselling line is 1350.

If you are a visitor or student, the practical effect is that late-night restaurants, cafes and convenience stores are staffed and open; the labour rules affect them too.

Common mistakes: assuming all overtime is paid automatically, assuming the 52-hour cap protects every workplace, and treating a team dinner as work time (legally it generally is not, but it affects how colleagues see you). Many Koreans respond to long hours and modest pay with additional income (see why side hustles are popular).

FAQ

How many hours do Koreans work a year?

Korean working hours averaged 1,865 hours in 2024 and 1,872 in 2023 on the OECD measure of hours actually worked per worker. The OECD advises using such figures for trends, not exact country rankings.

What is the 52-hour workweek in Korea?

It is the legal ceiling on weekly hours: 40 normal hours plus 12 overtime hours a week, from the Labor Standards Act. It was phased in from July 2018 for large firms to July 2021 for firms with 5 to 49 employees.

Is overtime paid in Korea?

Yes, at least 50% extra on ordinary wages for overtime and night work, with higher rates for long holiday work. Some contracts bundle fixed overtime into pay, and small workplaces under five employees have different rules.

What is special extended work in Korea?

An exception under Article 53(4) allowing longer overtime with the labor minister’s approval and workers’ consent, normally for limited periods.

Do foreigners have the same working hour rights in Korea?

The Labor Standards Act applies to workers in Korea regardless of nationality, though rules differ for workplaces with fewer than five employees. Check your contract and call 1350.

Sources and further reading

Checked October 31, 2026.

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