Korean workers are under great pressure at work

Overwork and lack of sleep become commonplace, and the fiercely competitive environment makes it difficult for employees to balance their personal and work lives.

As an information technology engineer at a company in Seoul, Ms. Kim’s work is always busy, sleeping 8 hours a day is a luxury. The time frame became even tighter when she gave birth to her second child, and the pressure of work made taking maternity leave not an easy decision.

Ms. Kim Yu-Mi – Information Technology Engineer said: “Can I return to work after taking maternity leave. When I go back to work all day, how can I have time to take care of my children? Questions, responsibilities? That responsibility is always heavy and causes many people to become stressed.”

In just a few decades, South Korea has gone from being one of the poorest countries into the world’s leading developed economy. The East Asian country does not have many resources but relies on the labor force and dedication of the people. The urge to work continuously, without stopping leads to the problem of Koreans overwork, stress and lack of sleep. According to the BBC, an estimated 100,000 South Koreans are addicted to sleeping pills. A psychologist in Seoul said she often met patients who had to take up to 20 sleeping pills a night.

Some social activist groups argue that sleep deprivation should not be viewed as an individual problem, and urge policymakers to identify the root of this situation in a pressurized society, with a non-working culture. reasonable.

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