Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
45% of Seoulites choose leisure over money
By Lee Hyo-sik
Nearly half of Seoul residents would prefer to give up income to engage in leisure activities, reflecting Koreans’ growing desire for a higher quality of life.
According to statistics released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Monday, 45 percent of citizens living in Seoul prefer recreation over money, with only 18.8 percent choosing to work for money rather than rest.
Seoulites aged over 10 spent an average of four hours and 28 minutes on weekdays, and six hours and 22 minutes on weekends to take part in a wide range of leisure activities in 2009, down 17 minutes and one minute, respectively, from five years ago.
On weekdays, the average man living in Seoul spent four hours and 26 minutes a day for fun activities on a par with the average woman’s four hours and 29 minutes.
But men exercised and engaged in other leisure activities for six hours and 54 minutes on weekends, an hour and two minutes longer than that of women, according to the statistics.
Seoul city attributed this gap to the fact that Korean women are usually the primary caretaker of domestic chores.
An average woman here spent three hours and six minutes doing housework on Saturdays and Sundays, substantially longer than the 47 minutes by an average man.
Seoulites spent two hours and 41 minutes on weekends watching TV and movies, followed by 58 minutes on hobbies and entertainment, 48 minutes on dating, 43 minutes on exercise and 30 minutes on religious activities.
According to Statistics Korea, salaried households in Seoul spent 124,000 won, or 5.4 percent of their total consumption expenditure, per month in 2009, slightly down from 5.6 percent five years ago.
They spent 25,000 won to buy books, 24,000 won to go to the movies and concerts, and 14,000 won to exercise and join in other entertainment activities.
Most Seoul citizens said they would like to travel, study, and engage more in cultural and sports events.
But in reality, they are found to spend the majority of leisure hours watching TV, doing household chores, resting and attending religious services.
Only 23 percent of Seoulties are satisfied with how they spent their spare time, with the remaining 77 percent unhappy about their leisure life, citing financial difficulties and lack of free time.