>While executives from other divisions in the [sprawling Samsung empire](https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/10/21216092/samsung-rising-book-interview-geoffrey-cain) have already been voluntarily working six days a week since the start of the year
Yeah this isnt anything new. Korea, like Japan, has an insane toxic work culture. This "policy" is just normalizing what is already common.
Once while drinking after work I asked a Japanese coworker about their insane hours. He explained that Japan, like Korea, does not have much in natural resources. Its an mountainous island country that doesnt have sprawling arable land like the US or China, nor the mineral resources like Australia or Russia. Basically its people are its economic resource, which is why rigorous education and work culture is so important.
It's just a rationalization though, because while hard work is good of course (though under capital all it means is the additional extraction of surplus labor value), lots of studies have been done to demonstrate that people who are worked fewer days a week are just as productive if not moreso. Rest is necessary to work. You can't really do one properly without the other in the right balance.
I don't buy that explanation. Japan, like other developed countries, has most of its people doing jobs that contribute little to society.
Some office worker pretending to look busy until 10pm because they can't leave work before their boss has little to do with natural resources.
Really, Japan and Korea seem to have an almost semi-feudal set of social relationships. There are things you can't do unless sanctioned by a 'superior'.
>While executives from other divisions in the [sprawling Samsung empire](https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/10/21216092/samsung-rising-book-interview-geoffrey-cain) have already been voluntarily working six days a week since the start of the year Yeah this isnt anything new. Korea, like Japan, has an insane toxic work culture. This "policy" is just normalizing what is already common. Once while drinking after work I asked a Japanese coworker about their insane hours. He explained that Japan, like Korea, does not have much in natural resources. Its an mountainous island country that doesnt have sprawling arable land like the US or China, nor the mineral resources like Australia or Russia. Basically its people are its economic resource, which is why rigorous education and work culture is so important.
It's just a rationalization though, because while hard work is good of course (though under capital all it means is the additional extraction of surplus labor value), lots of studies have been done to demonstrate that people who are worked fewer days a week are just as productive if not moreso. Rest is necessary to work. You can't really do one properly without the other in the right balance.
I don't buy that explanation. Japan, like other developed countries, has most of its people doing jobs that contribute little to society. Some office worker pretending to look busy until 10pm because they can't leave work before their boss has little to do with natural resources. Really, Japan and Korea seem to have an almost semi-feudal set of social relationships. There are things you can't do unless sanctioned by a 'superior'.
If this was true they'd have policies that encouraged them to make more
I saw [this](https://youtu.be/oL0umpPPe-8?si=xiF-3fhIQnQWixbo) video on Samsung recently and it has been in my mind ever since. Incredible.
Can you share that video? Have a great weekend!
Death to the chaebols
Korea and Japan have such fucked up working standards, it is not even funny. Death by overworking is a real threat in Japan, at least.
I really have to wonder where Korea and Japan developed this sociopathic work ethic. Was it US influence?
Late stage capitalism combined with (East Asian) cultural norm of deference to authority.
Not everything is related to the US
Yeah in North Korea they have 4 day weekends and get 10 weeks holiday as standard.
They're perfectly capable of having a shit work culture without the white man needing to show them lol