South Korea slashed the workweek to 35 hours. Same pay. More rest.

South Korea officially reduced its maximum legal workweek from 68 hours to 52 hours in recent years to promote work-life balance.straitstimes.comstraitstimes.comSouth Korea officially drops its maximum workweek to 52 hours to promote... This includes a standard 40-hour workweek plus up to 12 hours of overtime.

There is ongoing discussion and proposals around further reducing working hours, including trials of four-day or shorter workweeks in some provinces and sectors.welcometothejungle.comwelcometothejungle.comThe youth have spoken: South Korea’s push for a four-day workweekresetera.comresetera.comSouth Korea trials 4-day workweek However, these are not nationwide mandates.

A proposal to reduce the legal workweek to 35 hours has been studied and discussed as a potential policy to boost birth rates and improve quality of life,koreaherald.comkoreaherald.comCutting South Korea’s workweek to 35 hours may boost birth rate: study but it has not been implemented as law.

The government has also rejected proposals to raise the maximum weekly working hours to 69, indicating a focus on limiting rather than increasing working time.shrm.orgshrm.orgProposal to Raise Workweek in South Korea to 69 Hours Rejected

The current legal framework allows for flexibility but does not guarantee same pay for fewer hours universally; such arrangements depend on employer policies and specific trials.