SEOUL - Mr Kim Jun-soo, a trainer at Shinhan Bank's fitness centre in Seoul, cannot remember the last time there was such demand for his services.
The government wants to change the reputation and culture of Asia's most overworked country. The nation's employees worked an average of 2,024 hours in 2017, the second most after Mexico among 35 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to the group's data.
Across trading floors in Seoul, foreign-exchange brokers are trying to fit in a mandatory mid-day break and work within set hours in the US$55.5 billion -a day market. Not everyone is entirely pleased about the change. Some complain they have to rush to close positions before their work stations close down at mid-day. Others grumble that it is a hassle to seek permission to fire up their computers if they want to work outside the prescribed hours.