Action demanded in South Korea over excessive overtime culture following producer suicide...

The family of a young South Korean film producer who committed suicide after allegedly working over 20 hours a day have launched a campaign against the excessive overtime culture common to Asia’s fourth largest economy.

Relatives of Lee Han-bit, a producer at the CJ E&M entertainment company, who took his own life in October, released his suicide note last week in a bid to raise public awareness of the problem.

“I couldn’t live this way, working over 20 hours a day, sleeping only two to three hours and then going back to work,” he wrote.

In a statement, CJ E&M said “we are sad for the death of Lee and mourn with his family,” pledging to submit to a police investigation if there was one.

Activists have joined Lee’s family in starting an online petition demanding government action against work-related suicides, in a country where only about half of college graduates are able to secure full-time jobs and overwork is a chronic problem among those who do. Full story...

Related posts:

1. Japan government mulls stopping employees from fatal overworking...
2. If you want to earn more, work less...
3. Japan firm considers 3-day weekends as nation rethinks culture of long...
4. Head of Japan's largest ad agency resigns over 'death by overwork'
5. Workplace suicides are sharply on the rise in the globalized economy...
6. Filipino trainee’s death in Japan ruled from overwork, a first since 2011...
7. Suicide of young Dentsu employee recognized as due to...
8. 600,000 Chinese die from overworking each year...