South Korean workers' spending on education and hobbies increased last year due mainly to the implementation of the 52-hour workweek system.

According to the Bank of Korea and Statistics Korea on Sunday, total household spending on private education came to 42-point-24 trillion won last year, up three-point-two percent from a year earlier.

The on-year increase marks the highest since 2009.

Total household spending on hobbies, such as entertainment, came to 67-point-23 trillion won last year, up four-point-six percent from a year earlier. The on-year growth is the largest since 2011, when it marked five-point-eight percent.

A BOK official said that education spending by people in their 20s and 30s appears to have increased, and the spending noticeably increased starting in the third quarter, apparently affected by the 52-hour workweek system.