The trend of valuing balance between work and life is often named in Korea with a common loanword expression. What symbolizes on-time leaving and 'evenings with a life'?

Wo-ra-bal is a shortened Korean expression for 'work-life balance,' symbolizing the ability to leave work on time — sometimes called kal-toe, or 'knife-leaving,' for its precision — and actually have evenings and weekends available for personal life rather than being absorbed into work indefinitely.

Guaranteed overtime and a ban on leaving on time both describe the opposite of what wo-ra-bal represents; they reflect the older long-hours culture the term emerged specifically as a reaction against.

The rise of wo-ra-bal as a cultural keyword, especially among younger workers, has become influential enough that it now factors directly into job-choice decisions and company reputations, alongside pay and title, reshaping what Korean employees prioritize when evaluating an employer.