Korean workers feel the pinch, half not planning summer vacation

People cool off in the water at Haeundae Beach in Busan, Sunday. (Yonhap)

More than half of Korean workers currently have no plans for a summer vacation this year, with over 60 percent attributing finances as the reason for either postponing or not considering a summer trip, a survey showed Sunday.

According to local civic group Workplace Abuse 119, which surveyed 1,000 Korean employees aged over 19, some 19.8 percent of respondents had no intentions of taking a summer vacation, while 36.3 percent remained undecided, resulting in a total of over 50 percent unlikely to embark on a summer trip.

Among those not planning a summer vacation, 61.9 percent cited financial burdens as the primary reason, followed by 17.8 percent expressing concerns about excessive workload after the vacation and 12.8 percent pointing to a lack of paid leave. About 8 percent of respondents stated they were apprehensive about how their company would perceive their use of leave.

A separate survey, conducted by a state-run body, showed that those planning a summer vacation are most likely to hit the road between July 29 and Aug. 4.

The poll of approximately 10,000 individuals conducted by the Korea Transport Institute revealed that the highest percentage of respondents, 19.4 percent, chose the cited period for vacation. Another 16.6 percent opted for travel after Aug. 18, while 11.5 percent preferred dates between July 22 and 28.

Regarding transportation, nearly 85 percent of respondents planned to use automobiles, while the most preferred destination was the east coast area at 24.2 percent, followed by the south coast area at 19.6 percent and the west coast area at 11.1 percent.

By No Kyung-min(minmin@heraldcorp.com)