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SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- 

South Koreans’ satisfaction with their leisure lives has reached its highest level since 2016, with more than six in 10 expressing contentment.

 

According to the "2025 National Leisure Activity Survey" released Friday by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, 64.0 percent of respondents said they were “very satisfied,” “satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their leisure activities. The figure rose 2.4 percentage points from the previous year, marking the highest level since the survey began.

 

Leisure satisfaction stood at 56.4 percent in 2019 before declining to 49.7 percent in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, then rebounding steadily each year.

 

The rise is attributed to improvements in the quality rather than the quantity of leisure. The average number of leisure activities participated in at least once per person fell from 16.4 to 15.7, while the proportion of activities pursued on a regular basis rose from 38.5 percent to 43.2 percent. Average monthly leisure time also increased slightly, and participation in sports and cultural activities grew.

 

More than half of respondents, or 56.6 percent, said they enjoyed leisure activities alone, up 1.7 percentage points from a year earlier. Leisure with family or close acquaintances declined, while activities with social groups such as clubs or colleagues rose slightly.

 

The main purpose of leisure was “personal enjoyment” at 39.8 percent, followed by “mental stability and rest” at 23.5 percent.

 

A separate Worker Vacation Survey showed that paid leave usage reached a record high. Workers used 13.2 days, or 79.4 percent, of the 16.7 days of paid leave granted per person, the highest rate since the survey began in 2018. The share of workers taking vacations of five days or longer rose to 9.8 percent.

 

Travel was the most common reason for taking leave at 35.0 percent, followed by rest at 28.6 percent and household chores at 16.0 percent. August recorded the highest monthly leave usage at 15.3 percent, followed by July and December. Average spending during leave reached 2.212 million won, continuing an upward trend.

 

Meanwhile, the National Cultural and Arts Activity Survey showed that direct attendance at cultural events fell 2.8 percentage points to 60.2 percent, with the average number of attendances declining to 2.4 per year. Movies accounted for the largest share at 50.6 percent, followed by popular music and entertainment at 15.0 percent and musicals at 5.8 percent.

 

The ministry said detailed survey results will be posted on its official websites. Vice Minister Lee Jung-woo said the findings show Koreans are increasingly favoring more self-directed cultural and leisure activities.

 

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