<English Lounge 11/26 Topic>

Session1

South Korean Province Trials 4.5-Day Workweek

South Korea is trialing a four-and-a-half day workweek as the government tries to take pressure off the country's workers.

President Lee Jae Myung, who was elected in June, has said the country should be putting quality before quantity.

South Korean workers are known to put in long hours, often under pressure from their bosses. In Korean, as in Japanese, there's a word meaning "death from overwork" ― gwarosa.

Earlier this summer, Gyeonggi province launched a trial of a shorter workweek, with 67 companies taking part. Gyeonggi surrounds Seoul, and is home to 27% of the country's population.

The standard workweek in South Korea is 40 hours, but according to Nikkei, employees at the companies involved in the trial can choose either to work 35 hours, work four-and-a-half days, or work four days one week and five days the next.

The trial is due to last until 2027, when its effect on productivity and employee happiness will be evaluated.

Lee's ideas on workplace reform are quite different from those of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who in 2023 considered raising the cap on working hours to 69 per week.

Business leaders had encouraged the government to raise the cap from 52 hours to improve productivity, but these plans were scrapped after backlash from younger workers.

But while the current regime wants to move in the opposite direction, productivity remains a concern ― the country is facing a labor shortage caused in part by a very low birth rate.

Some say the government is caught between a rock and a hard place ― it wants to improve work-life balance to make couples more likely to start families, but at the same time it needs to ensure that the economy stays strong.

And the trial is also coming at a cost. Gyeonggi province is giving each company that's involved in the trial 260,000 won per month for each worker that takes part ― that's a little under $190.

According to Nikkei, the province has budgeted 8 billion won ― more than $5.7 million ― for the trial.

1. What are your thoughts on the four-and-a-half day workweek being trialed in Gyeonggi province?

2. Do you think the change is likely to become permanent across South Korea?

3. If you had an extra half-day off every week, how would you spend it?

4. Do you think people are more productive when they work more hours?

5. Do you think it's possible to offer good work-life balance while also ensuring economic growth?

Session2 - Discussion Time: Standard of Living

1. What’s your standard of living like? / Has your standard of living gone up or down over the years?

2. Do you think standard of living is more important than quality of life?

3. Do you think the standard of living is a cultural or economic measurement?

4. Is the standard of living related to the cost of living?

5. An Indian spiritual leader said: "It is not the standard of living that is important, but the manner of living." Do you agree?