Student handout — Discussion & Debate
Korea's Four-Day Workweek Pilots Give Your Adult Class a Debate They're Already Living
Discussion: Should Korea Move to a Four-Day Workweek?
Background: Some Korean companies — Woowa Brothers (Baemin) since 2019, Kakao Games since 2022, and SK hynix on a pilot basis — now offer a four-day or 4.5-day week. It is not yet the law for every company.
Discuss in pairs
- Have you or anyone you know worked at a company with reduced hours? What happened?
- If your own workday didn't change but you got Friday off, would your company actually let your workload shrink too?
- Would a four-day week help Korea's low birth rate? Why or why not?
- Should factory and service workers get the same deal as office workers, even if their jobs work differently?
- If your pay dropped 10% for one extra day off per week, would you take it?
Vocabulary
- pilot program — a small test before something becomes permanent
- burnout — physical or mental exhaustion from overwork
- overtime (야근) — working beyond normal hours, often unpaid in Korea