South Korea's Long Commutes Leave Less Time for Health, Family and Connection

108 Minutes of Travel, and a Growing Cost to Daily Life

South Korea recorded the longest average daily travel time among 43 countries in a study published in Environmental Research Letters: 1 hour and 48 minutes. The average across the countries surveyed was 1 hour and 8 minutes. That leaves South Koreans spending an extra 40 minutes a day on travel, time that could otherwise go toward meals, exercise, rest or relationships.

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 travel in countries representing more than half of the world's population. Average daily travel was 81 minutes in the United States, 87 minutes in the United Kingdom and 77 minutes in Japan. Morocco had the shortest average, at 48 minutes.

Lee Han-soo, 34, spends nearly two and a half hours each day traveling between his home near Namhansanseong Station on Subway Line No. 8 and an IT firm near Hongik University Station on Subway Line No. 2 in Seoul. His journey captures what those national figures mean at home: the working day continues long after leaving the office.

Lee described how the routine leaves him with little energy for anything else:

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.

Research from Kangbuk Samsung Hospital connects journeys of more than an hour each way with greater loneliness. Together with national surveys on isolation and accounts from people leaving Seoul, the findings show how travel, work and social pressures can compete for the same limited hours.

What the Seoul Commuting Study Found

Kangbuk Samsung Hospital researchers released a study in September using the 2023 Seoul Survey, which covered more than 24,000 office workers. Workers traveling more than 60 minutes each way had a 49 percent higher risk of loneliness within family relationships and a 36 percent higher risk in broader social relationships than workers whose journeys took 30 minutes or less.

The Seoul city government collected the survey through interviews conducted in person. Researchers divided commuting time into three groups: 30 minutes or less, 31 to 60 minutes, and more than 60 minutes.

The team used logistic regression, a statistical method for examining how several factors relate to an outcome. Its analysis adjusted for social and demographic characteristics, occupation, travel mode and living arrangements. The connection between longer journeys and loneliness remained after those adjustments.

Drivers showed the strongest association. Workers using public transport, walking or cycling did not show a statistically significant increase in loneliness, meaning the analysis did not find a sufficiently clear increase in those groups. Driving alone through heavy traffic can combine isolation with limited opportunities to interact or use the journey for other activities.

Workers living alone were particularly vulnerable when their journeys exceeded 60 minutes. The research team warned that Korea's current average commuting time "can accelerate social isolation" and called for policies that consider mental well-being alongside transport needs.

Dr. Eric Galbraith, the corresponding author of the international travel study, explained why the time involved matters:

Commuting time affects an individual's time for meals, movement, and rest, and is closely linked to health.

Lee's evening routine illustrates that pressure. When travel occupies hours of the day, eating, sleeping, seeing friends and spending time with family must fit into what remains.

Young Workers Face Overlapping Pressures

A study published in Frontiers in Public Health examined loneliness, working conditions and depressive symptoms among 3,219 employed Seoul residents aged 18 to 35. It used the Seoul Young Adult Panel Study and found that greater loneliness was associated with more depressive symptoms.

Participants classified as "very lonely" had a 94 percent higher likelihood of depressive symptoms than those with normal loneliness levels. The researchers found a dose-response relationship: as loneliness increased, so did the likelihood of symptoms. Job satisfaction had a strong protective association, while workplace bullying increased depressive symptoms.

Commute time alone was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms in that study. The hospital research examined a different outcome, loneliness, and identified journeys exceeding an hour as a particular concern. The two findings describe connected parts of daily life: travel consumes time, working conditions affect well-being, and loneliness is associated with depressive symptoms.

Seoul's household changes give these findings added weight. More than a third of the city's population now lives alone, according to the account of the demographic situation. The Seoul Metropolitan Government says young people account for 64 percent of households with one person, up from 51.3 percent a decade earlier.

The Seoul Institute surveyed 3,000 households with one person and found that 62.1 percent of respondents experienced persistent loneliness. Another 13.6 percent were identified as socially isolated. Loneliness describes how someone feels about their connections; social isolation concerns how limited those connections are.

The Physical Cost of Hours in Transit

Cho Soo-hyun, a family medicine professor at Chung-Ang University Hospital, explained that sitting for long periods on trains or buses reduces physical activity, encourages late dinners and disrupts sleep. Those changes can contribute to weight gain, reduced exercise capacity and hypertension, or high blood pressure.

Research by Northeast Agricultural University in Harbin, China, examined more than 30,000 people. It found that physical and mental health declined as commuting time increased, particularly when travel exceeded six hours a week.

A study by Umea University in Sweden followed participants for 14 years and found that women with long commutes had a 54 percent higher risk of death than women traveling shorter distances. Increased stress, less time for activities supporting health and disruption to the body's daily rhythms were identified as possible mechanisms relevant beyond Sweden.

Posture is another concern during lengthy journeys. Reclining a seat too far, or bending the neck and back to look at a smartphone in a car or on public transport, puts strain on spinal joints. Suggested measures include stretching before boarding, with movements such as rotating the waist and neck.

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health found that people traveling through surroundings with trees, grass and other natural features experienced lower stress and greater emotional stability. Routes like these are not always available in densely built Seoul.

Recommendations for commuters also include managing eating habits to avoid late, heavy meals and using travel time for relaxation rather than more work. These measures address parts of the daily burden, while shortening the journey would return time for exercise, sleep and relationships.

Why Financial Security Does Not Always Bring Connection

South Korea's relative poverty rate fell from 18.5 percent in 2011 to 15.3 percent in the year described as last year. At the same time, concern has grown about "relationship poverty," a situation in which people have materially stable lives but become disconnected from others.

The Ministry of Data and Statistics' 2025 social survey found that 21.2 percent of respondents had no one to talk to when feeling depressed or discouraged. That was 3.6 percentage points above the 17.6 percent recorded in 2015. The figure reached 26.5 percent among people living alone and 19.2 percent among people in households with three members.

An Soo-jung, a psychology professor at Myongji University, described a form of loneliness tied to self-worth and purpose:

In Korea, people say they feel very lonely when they feel they're not worthy enough or lack purpose.

An explained that people can have active social lives and close relationships yet feel lonely "when they compare themselves to others and question whether they are useful, contributing enough to society, or falling behind." This reflects a relational orientation, in which people define themselves in relation to those around them.

An also connected loneliness to a competitive, "achievement-oriented" culture in which people feel they fall short of their goals:

When we all pursue the same values excessively, we end up losing ourselves," An said. "Our society demands highly collective social living but often fails to respect the individual—meaning people struggle to deal with solitude or the feeling of failure.

Chey Jean-yung, a psychology professor at Seoul National University, said relationship poverty occurs in industrialized countries, but South Korea's unusually rapid development added pressure to community life:

"In the process, local communities collapsed, and social inclusivity declined—deepening relational poverty," he said.

Lonely Deaths Show the Most Severe Isolation

Thousands of South Koreans die alone each year, disconnected from family and friends. Known as godoksa, or lonely deaths, these cases mainly involve men in middle age. Bodies sometimes remain undiscovered for days or weeks.

Ministry of Health and Welfare figures cited for the tally described as last year recorded 3,661 lonely deaths, compared with 3,559 in 2022 and 3,378 in 2021. The article's statistical recap identified the 3,661 figure as the 2023 total. More than 84 percent of the deaths in that tally were male, more than five times the number of female deaths. Men in their 50s and 60s accounted for more than half of all cases.

South Korea's aging population and declining birthrate have meant more deaths than births in recent years. The country's death rate is rising, including deaths among isolated people. Overwork, lengthy journeys and weakening connections form part of the wider concern about people becoming cut off from support.

The Data Ministry's first survey on loneliness found that 38.2 percent of people aged 13 or older felt lonely in daily life. The proportion was 48.9 percent among people living alone and 34.9 percent among those in households with at least four members.

Loneliness also appeared across income groups. It affected 33 percent of people in households earning more than 6 million won a month, compared with 57.6 percent in households earning less than 1 million won. Lower income was associated with a higher figure, while loneliness remained common among people with more money.

Leaving Seoul for a Different Daily Life

Kim Ji-ung was 32 and single when he worked as a salesman in Seoul, a city of 9.6 million people. Career opportunities came with isolation and a routine that left him struggling.

Kim described his experience before leaving the capital:

I pondered about dying during my morning commute," he said. "The most difficult thing was that I had no one to talk to. After work, I would be at home scrolling through TV channels or playing video games.

A close friend collapsed at work and died. Kim said that event prompted him to reconsider his own life:

That's when I really started to ask myself, 'Will I be next?'

Kim moved to Don't Worry Village in Mokpo, a city of 210,000 people in southwestern South Korea. Hong Dong-woo, who had also left Seoul after being headed toward corporate success, founded the community.

Hong explained the purpose of the village:

The blueprint for our village was to make a hometown that would act as a community—something that so many people in our country lack in their lives.

Kim found that Mokpo's smaller size made everyday connections easier:

Because the city is quite small, it's likely that you'll meet other young people through one way or another," Kim said. "People ask favours to each other, and you make friends here by just saying 'hi' to them.

He contrasted that experience with Seoul, where "people do not have time to greet each other and do not want to become involved in other people's businesses." After starting an interior design company in Mokpo, he also found time for spontaneous trips.

Kim described one way he used that freedom:

On random nights, I'll just go down to the ferry terminal and get on a midnight boat to Jeju Island," he said. "I'll just stay there for the morning, but it's the small things like this that tell me that I'm having a good time here.

Families and Workers Seek Room to Breathe

Park Myung-ho, 38, had worked for one of South Korea's largest arms manufacturers. His wife, Kim Min-jee, 35, had worked at the country's largest advertising company. They married after meeting in Don't Worry Village.

Park explained why starting a different life in Seoul had felt difficult:

There's just too much competition in Seoul," Park said. "It seemed like only people who possessed a lot of capital succeeded in starting a business.

Kim Min-jee gave birth to a son more than a year before the account. She described how work, childcare and housing pressures had shaped her decision:

Working for a major company meant nearly no time at home and weekends spent in the office," she explained. "It's almost impossible to raise kids in Seoul without the help of parents or childcare services, and finding an affordable housing arrangement is even harder.

Don't Worry Village became a prototype for more than 50 communities centered on young people that the government created in recent years. Keeping residents has been difficult because jobs, workplaces and key infrastructure remain concentrated in the capital region.

The village held more than 21 workshops for people considering a move and attracted more than 2,000 visitors, but only 20 people remained. Across the country, the Ministry of Interior and Safety reported about 10,000 workshop participants and about 900 people who moved to these communities. Those national figures amount to roughly nine movers for every 100 participants.

Brianna Lee, a nurse aged 30, chose another route. She is among the tens of thousands of young adults applying each year for working holiday visas to live and work abroad.

Lee described the pressure she felt in South Korea:

Life in South Korea is just too intensive," she said. "You're expected to get a job, get married, buy a house and have an amount of money at a certain age. And you're judged for literally everything.

After burnout from shifts lasting 11 hours and discrimination in Korean hospitals, Lee worked in Canada and was preparing to move to the United States. She explained what she valued about life abroad:

Most importantly, people aren't nosy," she said. "I think people care less about what you do for work and how you choose to live your life there.

Seoul's Plan and the National Response

Seoul authorities announced spending of 451.3 billion won, nearly $327 million, over five years to "create a city where no-one is lonely." Initiatives include counselors available through a hotline operating around the clock and an online counseling platform.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon described loneliness as a shared responsibility:

"Loneliness and isolation are not just individual problems, but tasks that society must solve together," he said.

Oh said Seoul would "mobilize all of our municipal capacity" to help lonely residents heal and "return to society." Plans include expanded psychological services, green spaces, nutritional meal plans for residents in middle and older age, and a dedicated "search system" to identify isolated people. Gardening, sports and book clubs are intended to encourage connection.

National measures include the Lonely Death Prevention and Management Act, which required a comprehensive prevention plan. A 2023 amendment made some reclusive young people eligible for financial support, including up to 650,000 won, or $475, a month for living expenses, to help them "re-enter society."

Other countries have also responded to isolation. Japan, where hikikomori, or extreme social withdrawal, was first recognized, appointed a Minister of Loneliness and Isolation in 2021. The following year, its government released an intensive countermeasures plan that included a consultation service operating around the clock. The United Kingdom has appointed ministers of loneliness, while the United States Surgeon General warned of an "epidemic of loneliness and isolation" in a 2023 advisory.

The main dated developments span several years:

• 2021: Japan appointed its loneliness minister; South Korea recorded 3,378 lonely deaths.
• 2022: Japan released its countermeasures plan; South Korea recorded 3,559 lonely deaths.
• 2023: Seoul collected the survey used in the commuting research, South Korea amended support for some reclusive youth, and the United States issued its loneliness advisory.
• 2025: The Korean social survey recorded 21.2 percent of respondents without someone to talk to when depressed or discouraged.

Shorter Journeys and Stronger Local Connections

An Soo-jung questioned whether more opportunities to meet people would be enough, expressing "doubts about whether simply expanding physical connections will fundamentally solve the problem of loneliness. It's not something that can be easily changed by a single policy." She said people also need to "develop the strength to be alone and face themselves."

An described the difficulty of doing that in a demanding society:

We need to cultivate the ability to care for both ourselves and others," An said. "But our life in society is so tough, so it feels like we lack the time to even care for ourselves.

Proposals aimed directly at commuting include working remotely and flexible working arrangements. Some companies have begun experimenting with these approaches, although adoption remains limited within Korea's competitive corporate culture. Urban planning that reduces journey times and supports social participation would address the hours lost before and after work.

Other proposals include more public parks, pottery and craft programs at local libraries, and expanded community services delivered to people's homes. Chung Soon-dool, a social welfare professor at Ewha Womans University, called for earlier attention to isolation:

"We need to focus on loneliness and isolation as early-stage symptoms before solitary deaths occur," she said.

Seoul's concentration of economic opportunities, housing affordability pressures, competitive work culture and weakening traditional communities place several demands on the same people. The experiences of Lee Han-soo and Kim Ji-ung show how those pressures reach into ordinary evenings: one comes home exhausted, while the other left the capital to recover time and connection.

As of December 29, 2025, the responses described range from counseling and financial assistance to new communities and proposals for shorter journeys. Seoul's spending plan covers five years, but no specific date was given for a broad reduction in commuting times or widespread adoption of flexible work.

The Essentials

• South Korea averaged 108 minutes of daily personal and work travel, the longest among 43 countries studied, compared with an average of 68 minutes.
• A Seoul study linked commutes exceeding 60 minutes each way with 49 percent higher family loneliness risk and 36 percent higher social loneliness risk.
• The strongest association appeared among drivers; people living alone were particularly vulnerable to long journeys.
• Research on 3,219 young workers linked greater loneliness with more depressive symptoms, while commute time alone was not a significant predictor.
• Long journeys can reduce time for movement, meals, sleep and relationships.
• The 2025 social survey found that 21.2 percent of respondents lacked someone to talk to when depressed or discouraged.
• The cited tally of lonely deaths reached 3,661, with more than 84 percent involving men.
• Seoul announced 451.3 billion won in spending over five years to address loneliness.
• Some residents have moved to smaller communities or abroad, while the concentration of jobs around Seoul limits alternatives.