The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Revised Japanese textbooks distort wartime forced labor, catching Korea off guard

  • 3

    Actor Yoo Ah-in once again apologizes for alleged drug use

  • 5

    Korea to ease entry rules to boost tourism, domestic spending

  • 7

    Gold price nears all-time high amid financial jitters

  • 9

    Ramsar wetland in Han River cleaned up for protected birdlife

  • 11

    CJ CheilJedang sees chicken as next big seller after frozen dumpling

  • 13

    BTS' Jimin tops Spotify's global chart with 'Like Crazy'

  • 15

    From IVE to NCT DOJAEJUNG, K-pop hotshots brace for April chart race

  • 17

    Suspect identified in Nashville school shooting that killed 3 children, 3 staff

  • 19

    Ra Mi-ran, Lee Re to lead fantasy drama 'The Mysterious Candy Store'

  • 2

    Chun Doo-hwan's grandson apprehended at Incheon Int'l Airport over drug use

  • 4

    Clock ticks for China's massive repatriation of N. Korean defectors

  • 6

    'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' to be adapted into live action series in Thailand

  • 8

    BMW launches new XM

  • 10

    Civic groups in Gwangju await meeting with Chun Doo-hwan's grandson

  • 12

    North Korea unveils tactical nuclear warheads

  • 14

    Over 1,000 financially vulnerable Koreans apply for new emergency gov't loans

  • 16

    2024 budget to focus on tackling low birthrate

  • 18

    INTERVIEWChoi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'

  • 20

    Samsung Pay partners with Hana Financial to issue student IDs

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Thu, March 30, 2023 | 11:58
Sah Dong-seok Column
Youngsters' wrath in hellish Korea
Posted : 2015-10-16 16:07
Updated : 2015-10-16 16:41
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Sah Dong-seok

It's not easy to understand what "Hell Joseon'' means upon hearing it. When I first heard the coined phrase, I thought it was another curse word for a nationally circulated conservative daily. But it was not.

The fact is that it is a buzz-phrase spreading rapidly among the young in our society, meaning that Korea (Joseon) is closer to hell and is devoid of any hope.

Simultaneously going viral these days is the ghastly slogan: "All are equal before a bamboo spear.'' Also, there is "earth spoon,'' a self-deprecating statement by which young people born to poor families lamentably compare their miserable situation to "gold spoon'' or "silver spoon,'' which refers to children from superrich families.

No matter how difficult the reality facing our youngsters is, it's pitiable to find out how hopeless and wrathful they have become.

Another buzz-phrase, the "Opo Generation,'' might reveal their fundamental problems and agony. It refers to a generation that has prematurely given up on five major milestones in life ― a romantic relationship, marriage, childbirth, relationships with other people and home ownership ― because they hardly expect to achieve these goals.

They graduated from universities at the expense of high tuition ― more than seven high school graduates enter college in Hell Joseon ― but getting a job and a stable income has become increasingly difficult. All this prompts them to express their anger at the older generation who appear to be dominating through their vested interests. Most recently, the "N Generation'' has gone viral, referring to the young who have given up on everything in life.

The youth unemployment rate for the 15 to 29 age group was 9 percent last year, more than twice the overall jobless rate of 3.5 percent, according to Statistics Korea. But the bigger problem is that decent jobs seem to be disappearing at a startling pace.

Also frustrating them is that Korea has never been a fair society when it comes to getting hired. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Press Foundation, 58 percent of respondents in their 20s said they felt a personal connection was the key factor in getting a job, whereas 47 percent of people in their 50s cited knowledge and expertise.

A recent online survey of 21,000 young people also found that 88 percent of them said they hated Korea and wanted to leave. And 93 percent replied that they were ashamed of being Korean, with mistrust of the government being the No. 1 cause for that because of big man-made disasters and political brawls.

Their anger is understandable, especially given the distorted reality requiring parents who know the right people to help them get an internship at a fairly good company.

However, older people are also not always enjoying a leisurely life. While it's true they have amassed a certain degree of wealth thanks largely to the property boom during Korea's rapid growth period, their agony is equally formidable. There may be some time before their retirement, but no one knows when the next pink slip might be yours.

People who married late are grappling with children's school expenses, and their concerns run deeper whenever they think of "obligations'' to let their children find good spouses.

Young people may think that the older generation was able to find decent jobs easily, but the truth is that they also went through a rigorous process in their own way before getting hired. There are also many people who wandered from place to place before settling into a job.

But what is clear is that as long as the young confine themselves to blaming the older generation and remain obsessed with pessimism, their lives will hardly improve. There is no question that not all jobseekers can land jobs in nice workplaces no matter how much the government and businesses make efforts to increase jobs for the young.

Therefore the point should be to address the jobless woes among the young. For that matter, older people have little to say because their failed education policy, especially concerning the establishment of new universities, exacerbated the unemployment problem as we see it today.

It's no secret that education bureaucrats in the early 1990s changed the rules to liberalize the opening of universities only if certain ― not that high ― requirements were met. The result has been an entrenched mismatch in the job market; while many young college graduates swarm to large companies, state corporations and public offices, small- and medium-sized companies have serious difficulty in finding workers.

Young job applicants might not accept the older generation's argument that the reason for the high youth unemployment is because they are only looking for well-paying and stable jobs. But it's true they shun smaller firms, which are notorious for long working hours, poor pay and backward corporate culture.

What we need now, therefore, is to consider how we can save our younger generation from their protracted state of joblessness. The most realistic answer might be to make smaller firms far better places to work, not shunned by young jobseekers. Of course, this is easier said than done, but it is what should be done without fail. Reforming our education system will, of course, be an essential prerequisite.

The writer is the executive editor of The Korea Times. Contact him at sahds@ktimes.com.

Emailsahds@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Korea to ease entry rules to boost tourism, domestic spending Korea to ease entry rules to boost tourism, domestic spending
2Korea moves to shorten COVID-19 isolation period to 5 days Korea moves to shorten COVID-19 isolation period to 5 days
3[INTERVIEW] Can art become stable investment source? INTERVIEWCan art become stable investment source?
4Will dismantling oligopoly result in successful bank industry reform? Will dismantling oligopoly result in successful bank industry reform?
5Fintech, lifestyle products can help Korea grow trade ties with Hong Kong: city's trade promotion chief in Korea Fintech, lifestyle products can help Korea grow trade ties with Hong Kong: city's trade promotion chief in Korea
6Generation Z entrepreneurs turn oyster shells into trendy dish soapGeneration Z entrepreneurs turn oyster shells into trendy dish soap
7Celltrion chairman vows to develop new drugs, initiate M&As Celltrion chairman vows to develop new drugs, initiate M&As
8Terraform Labs co-founder's extradition could be delayed more than 1 month Terraform Labs co-founder's extradition could be delayed more than 1 month
9Ex-journalist to lead NK defector support foundation Ex-journalist to lead NK defector support foundation
10Seoul participates in Asia's biggest smart city expo in Taipei Seoul participates in Asia's biggest smart city expo in Taipei
Top 5 Entertainment News
1'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' to be adapted into live action series in Thailand 'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' to be adapted into live action series in Thailand
2From IVE to NCT DOJAEJUNG, K-pop hotshots brace for April chart race From IVE to NCT DOJAEJUNG, K-pop hotshots brace for April chart race
3[INTERVIEW] Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet' INTERVIEWChoi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'
4Ra Mi-ran, Lee Re to lead fantasy drama 'The Mysterious Candy Store' Ra Mi-ran, Lee Re to lead fantasy drama 'The Mysterious Candy Store'
5[INTERVIEW] Ahn Jae-hong on playing underdog basketball coach in 'Rebound' INTERVIEWAhn Jae-hong on playing underdog basketball coach in 'Rebound'
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group