"In effect, a third of all Korean workers can be classified as having excessive hours," the latest report said.

The BOK said local workers handily outpaced rivals in Japan, where working overtime on a regular basis has created serious social fallout.

Corresponding numbers for Germany and Italy stood at 9.3 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively.

In terms of overall time spent working on an annual basis, Korean employees logged 2,024 hours on average in 2017, which is higher than the 1,759 hours for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Japanese workers reported 1,710 hours on the job per year, although this number goes up sharply to 2,042 hours if only regular, full-time employees are counted.

The average for the United States reached 1,780 last year, with France and Germany standing at 1,514 and 1,356, respectively.

Reflecting the need to curb long hours at work and for people to strike a better work-life balance, Seoul introduced a maximum 52 hour work week this month for companies with more than 300 employees. The move has been cited as a way to change the lifestyles of many people in the country. (Yonhap)