Koreans are spending more time and money on leisure, according to a survey on their cultural, art and leisure activities and the number of vacation days spent last year as announced on Feb. 5 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. (Yonhap News)
By Xu Aiying and Kim Minji
Koreans are spending more time and money on leisure as cultural activities are becoming a bigger part of daily life in the country.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Feb. 5 announced the results of three studies conducted by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute on cultural and art activities, leisure and the number of vacation days taken last year by workers.
The research found that 81.8% of Koreans attended cultural and art events last year, slightly up from 81.5% in 2018. The average number of visits to such events was 6.3, and 51.7% of families with monthly income under KRW 1 million attended cultural and art events last year, the first time that the mark surpassed 50%.
The institute attributed the increase to more low-income families participating in cultural events thanks to expanded government support for the ministry's Munhwa Nuri (Culture World) Card, a prepaid cash card to support the cultural activities of the disadvantaged and offer tax deductions on cultural expenses.
The fall in work hours after the introduction of the 52-hour workweek was cited as the biggest factor behind the increase in leisure time.
Permanent staff took 9.9 days off on average in 2018, up from 8.5 in 2017, showing that more people are pursuing cultural leisure and trying for overall work-life balance.
The survey on workers' leisure habits began in 2017, and the frequency of the study on cultural, art and leisure activities was expanded last year from biennial to annual.
"To create an environment where people can enjoy cultural leisure in their daily lives, we will push for a variety of policies depending on individual situations and conditions including expansion of the support fund for the Munhwa Nuri Card and employee vacations."
xuaiy@korea.kr
