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.
A few years back, I commuted about 1 hour in the morning and 1h30 minutes in the evening, so a total of about 2h30 minutes. +/- 30 minutes, depending on traffic. This was with my 2-year-old son at the time. I got used to it, and my son didn't know any better, so he didn't complain.
But now that I've moved near my workplace, commuting 2 minutes every day, I can't imagine ever going back to that old regime. And my now 6-year-old would probably also not agree so easily anymore.
So, how long do you commute to work?