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| A woman holding a bouquet commutes on the subway in Seoul on March 19, 2025. PHOTO: AFP |
SEOUL – Lee Han-soo, 34, spends nearly 2 1/2 hours a day traveling between his home near Namhansanseong Station on Subway Line No. 8 and his job at an IT firm near Hongik University Station on Subway Line No. 2 in Seoul.
“Although I’m used to it now, I’m completely drained by the time I get home,” he said. “I just grab something to eat and go straight to bed.”
For many South Koreans, Lee’s routine is far from unusual — it may even be typical.
A recent study published in Environmental Research Letters found that South Korea recorded the longest average daily travel time among 43 countries surveyed, at 1 hour and 48 minutes.
The global average was 1 hour and 8 minutes, meaning South Koreans, on average, spend an additional 40 minutes of their daily life commuting.
The study, led by researchers at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona’s Institute of Environmental Science and Technology and McGill University, examined personal and work-related travel patterns in countries representing more than half of the world’s population.
Local medical experts warn that the country’s long-commute culture may take a psychological toll.
A study released in September by researchers at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, based on the 2023 Seoul Survey of more than 24,000 office workers, found that workers whose one-way commute exceeded 60 minutes were significantly more likely to experience loneliness.
Compared with those who commuted 30 minutes or less, long-distance commuters faced a 49 percent higher risk of feeling lonely within family relationships and a 36 percent higher risk of loneliness in broader social relationships.
Interestingly, the effect was strongest among commuters who drive. Workers who take public transit, walk or bike did not show a statistically significant increase in loneliness.
The research team warned that Korea’s current average commuting time “can accelerate social isolation,” and urged policymakers to consider solutions that also address mental well-being. THE KOREAN HERALD/ANN
