Koreans Still Tired Despite Shorter Work Week

Koreans work, study and read less than they did five years ago, but eight out of 10 people are still experiencing fatigue.

A report released Monday by Statistics Korea shows the time Koreans spent sleeping and eating rose 21 minutes to 11 hours and 14 minutes a day last year compared to five years ago. Meanwhile the time they spent on household chores or studying shrank by 20 minutes to seven hours and 57 minutes.

Koreans spent 31 minutes a day drinking coffee or tea and eating snacks, five minutes more than five years ago. In 1999, just after the Asian financial crisis, they spent just 18 minutes a day.

The average time youngsters spent on studying stood at six hours and 17 minutes, 32 minutes less than five years ago. The changes stem from the mandatory five-day work and school week that went into effect in 2011.

High school students studied eight hours and 28 minutes on average, middle school students seven hours and 16 minutes, and elementary children five hours and 23 minutes. University students spent just four hours and 10 minutes a day studying.

But 81.3 percent of the public say they are still tired. This was especially common among employed, university-educated women in their 30s.

Although there has been a marked increase in the number of women joining the workforce, they still bore the brunt of housework as men spent only 47 minutes a day on household chores, compared to three hours and 28 minutes for women.

Koreans also spent one minute less reading than five years ago at a mere six minutes a day. Only around 10 percent spent more than 10 minutes a day reading, down 1.5 percentage points.

Statistics Korea gathers data every five years analyzing how Koreans spend their day. This year's survey was conducted on 12,000 households across the nation.

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