Don’t overwork yourself, have fun in life: “Generation Z” in South Korea would also like to do that. But more and more young people are doing part-time jobs after work. The pressure of expectations is high.
A quiet residential area very close to Hanguk University in Seoul. 26-year-old Min Gyu lives here with his older brother Min Ki. Two small rooms, kitchen, bathroom – luxury in expensive Seoul. Her parents have deposited tens of thousands of euros with the landlord for this.
Min Gyu has opened his laptop. He is currently writing a third book about ChatGPT: “These are instructions, because many people have heard about ChatGPT, but they don’t know how to use the bot in everyday life.” He uses it every day and has for a long time. If he can’t find the right word in English during a conversation, Min Gyu asks his computer – at breakneck speed.
Few enjoy their job
He currently works 45 hours a week in the marketing department of a Korean carbon fiber company. “And then another 15 to 20 hours on the side,” but that doesn’t bother him at all, because he enjoys his work.
The son of a teacher and a journalist seems to be way ahead of his peers: “Many of my friends go to companies like Samsung and work in the semiconductor industry because they pay well. But everyone says it’s boring.” You dreamed of your own café or restaurant.
On the hunt for status symbols
What is missing and frustrating for his generation from Min Gyu’s point of view: They don’t have enough time to find out what they really want. Korean society is driven by competition, and his generation too often chases after status symbols: “But as a result, the standard of living is constantly rising, and they forget to ask what really makes them happy.”
When he talks to his friends, they constantly talk about material things like the latest cell phone, a new car or their own apartment: “But when we travel together, play cards or go swimming, they don’t talk about it anymore.” The 26-year-old believes that happiness is more than owning a house.
Lack of trust in politics
Whether due to financial pressure or of their own accord, the fact is that in 2022 a total of 630,000 Koreans between the ages of 15 and 29 had a part-time job. That’s a 40 percent increase from 2016, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Even though Min Gyu says he’s not interested in politics, he sees it as a clear failure. “My generation fears that in 10 to 20 years they will go bankrupt because of the low birth rate.” This is well expressed in the word Hell Joseon, which means Hell Korea. Korean society is no longer sustainable.
pressure of expectation The parents
Parents also play an important role. They built up the Republic of Korea at breakneck speed after the war and brought it to the prosperity and prestige it has today. Now it’s the children’s turn. “Most Korean parents invest a lot of money in their children’s education, and they expect something in return,” says Min Gyu’s brother Min Ki, who is two years older than him. He means not only a great job, but also marriage and grandchildren.
But getting married in South Korea costs a fortune: “It’s a whole package.” Min Ki may want to have children later, but would rather live with his girlfriend without a marriage certificate.
competition versus individualization
Shin Jinwook is a sociologist at Jungang University in Seoul. He did a lot of research on the young generation. His office is crammed with books and there is an exercise bike in one corner. Outside of work he has so little time to train, he says with a laugh. He even takes the time for an interview on public holidays.
The biggest challenges for Generation Z in Korea are two things: competition versus individualization. The economic rise of his country was rapid, people got used to a good life: “But economic growth has slowed down in the meantime, and that means there are fewer good jobs, and the younger generation has to fight for these jobs from an early age. ” 40 percent of the younger generation work in insecure jobs and are constantly under pressure.
Jinwook refers to the German sociologist Ulrich Beck. He had spoken of individualization in industrial societies, including in countries like South Korea. “Individualism is the belief that individual values, choices, and decisions take precedence over the interests of the group.”
Media and advertising convey the wrong image
But the majority of society is not yet ready to accept the other ways of the younger generation, and the generation itself is also at odds with itself. The sociologist also blames the media and advertising for this. You give the impression that everyone else is better than you. But although only a very small group of this young generation is successful, they have the impression that they have failed.
Politicians have not yet succeeded in taking away these fears from the generation, Jinwook criticizes that they are doing nothing for them. This can also be seen from the persistently high suicide rates of the younger generation, which are among the highest in the world.
“We can one multicultural become a country”
Fortunately, Min Gyu has already found his way. He will now do his master’s degree at the Technical University of Munich. Then he wants to return home with fresh ideas for more environmental friendliness.
In the long term – he agrees with his brother – Korea will only do one thing: more migration. “We can become a diverse, multicultural country.”