By Jung Min-ho
A growing number of young people are expressing frustration online over their country where they cannot land a job.
Websites with profane names such as "Hell Korea" are drawing popularity among youngsters, with "Hell Korea" becoming a buzzword in blogs and social media.
According to Topsy, a social search and analytics firm, the word was tweeted more than 4,600 times from June 29 to July 29.
A 30-year-old man, who works at an advertising company, wanted to collect the opinions of those who hold grudges against what they call the "hellish" job market and living conditions for the young.
So he created the website "Hell Korea (hellkorea.com)."
"From 1,000 to 2,000 people visit our website every week. And the number has increased by 10 to 20 percent every week since launching in May," the website operator, who refused to be named, told The Korea Times.
"There are many websites that are politically biased. Sometimes, they distort reality for their political benefit. That's not the goal of this website. I just wanted to show a gloomy but truthful side of Korea."
The unemployment rate for young people is the highest in 15 years. Among those employed, a half of them struggle with low-paying, precarious jobs. Seven out of 10 people in their 20s and 30s said they have considered emigration.
The problem is not that they are not trying hard enough to land a job, the website operator said. In fact, two-thirds of Koreans aged 25-34 have a college degree, the highest proportion in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
"Yet many young people are treated badly as if everything is their fault," he said. "They are blamed for ‘not trying hard enough' to win in cutthroat competition, and for failing to find any hope in a hopeless situation.
"I understand that there is no flawless country. But I think how the country tries to solve problems is wrong."
"Patriotism" and a false hope of "effort never betrays" are among the ways the older generations and those in power try to solve social problems for young people, he noted.
"What actually ends up happening is that young people work like slaves for old people who are already rich. And what many rich couples do is go abroad to have a child (known as a "maternity trip") to try and earn dual nationality for their children and for themselves," he said.
According to a survey released in February by Trend Monitor, a private research firm, 72.8 percent of 20-somethings and 74.4 percent of 30-somethings said they have considered emigration. A half of respondents from each of the two groups said they don't expect Korea's future to be rosy.
"I want to provide more skeptical perspectives that could make people think about what is the right direction for the country," the website operator said.
According to Statistics Korea, the number of unemployed 20-somethings in the country sits at 410,000, up from 330,000 in 2013. The number is the highest since 2000.
Among 20-somthings with jobs, 1.09 million are irregular workers, while 2.32 million are regular ones. This is called "the 880,000 won ($750) generation," referring to the minimum monthly wage that many earn on short-term contracts in restaurants and supermarkets.
A growing number of young people are expressing frustration online over their country where they cannot land a job.
Websites with profane names such as "Hell Korea" are drawing popularity among youngsters, with "Hell Korea" becoming a buzzword in blogs and social media.
According to Topsy, a social search and analytics firm, the word was tweeted more than 4,600 times from June 29 to July 29.
A 30-year-old man, who works at an advertising company, wanted to collect the opinions of those who hold grudges against what they call the "hellish" job market and living conditions for the young.
So he created the website "Hell Korea (hellkorea.com)."
"From 1,000 to 2,000 people visit our website every week. And the number has increased by 10 to 20 percent every week since launching in May," the website operator, who refused to be named, told The Korea Times.
"There are many websites that are politically biased. Sometimes, they distort reality for their political benefit. That's not the goal of this website. I just wanted to show a gloomy but truthful side of Korea."
The unemployment rate for young people is the highest in 15 years. Among those employed, a half of them struggle with low-paying, precarious jobs. Seven out of 10 people in their 20s and 30s said they have considered emigration.
The problem is not that they are not trying hard enough to land a job, the website operator said. In fact, two-thirds of Koreans aged 25-34 have a college degree, the highest proportion in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
"Yet many young people are treated badly as if everything is their fault," he said. "They are blamed for ‘not trying hard enough' to win in cutthroat competition, and for failing to find any hope in a hopeless situation.
"I understand that there is no flawless country. But I think how the country tries to solve problems is wrong."
"Patriotism" and a false hope of "effort never betrays" are among the ways the older generations and those in power try to solve social problems for young people, he noted.
"What actually ends up happening is that young people work like slaves for old people who are already rich. And what many rich couples do is go abroad to have a child (known as a "maternity trip") to try and earn dual nationality for their children and for themselves," he said.
According to a survey released in February by Trend Monitor, a private research firm, 72.8 percent of 20-somethings and 74.4 percent of 30-somethings said they have considered emigration. A half of respondents from each of the two groups said they don't expect Korea's future to be rosy.
"I want to provide more skeptical perspectives that could make people think about what is the right direction for the country," the website operator said.
According to Statistics Korea, the number of unemployed 20-somethings in the country sits at 410,000, up from 330,000 in 2013. The number is the highest since 2000.
Among 20-somthings with jobs, 1.09 million are irregular workers, while 2.32 million are regular ones. This is called "the 880,000 won ($750) generation," referring to the minimum monthly wage that many earn on short-term contracts in restaurants and supermarkets.
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