I cover a wide range of stories about Korean society — one of the most dynamic places in the world. To me, journalism means being on the ground, uncovering untold stories and amplifying marginalized voices, especially in an era when AI is reshaping the media landscape. That’s why I’m always here to listen. Tips and stories are welcome — feel free to reach out via email. Before becoming a journalist, I traveled through 24 countries over 702 days, served two years as a military police officer in the Republic of Korea Air Force and later studied filmmaking at the Korea National University of Arts.
More idle graduates stay home, shun work in Korea
Job postings are displayed on a bulletin board at a welfare center in Mapo District, Seoul, June 26. Yonhap
By Park Ung
About 17 percent of young Koreans who are neither employed nor seeking work continue to live with their parents after college — and their willingness to join the workforce has been steadily declining, according to a recent study.
The report, published by the Korea Labor Institute, draws on Statistics Korea survey data from 2015 to 2024, examining the demographic patterns of young adults aged 19 to 39 who are not actively seeking employment.
Over the past decade, the number of young people not in work or actively seeking employment in Korea ranged from about 4.43 million to 3.54 million per year, with a 10-year average of 4.15 million.
Over the past decade, an average of 67.6 percent of respondents said they had spent the previous week either attending school, caring for children or resting — the three most frequently cited activities.
While the percentage of those attending school remained relatively stable, the share of respondents engaged in child care fell sharply from 26.8 percent to 13.8 percent. Meanwhile, the proportion of those who said they were resting nearly doubled, rising from 10.5 percent to 20 percent.
Among young people not currently in the labor force, about 77 percent had no intention of seeking work, while roughly 22 percent were willing to work but had not searched for a job in the past four weeks.
When asked why they were not looking for work, 43 percent cited concerns about their own lack of skills or qualifications, while 37 percent pointed to unfavorable labor market conditions — a breakdown that has held steady, shifting by no more than 3 percentage points over the past decade.
Among unmarried graduates living with their parents, the share expressing a willingness to work gradually declined from about 55 percent in 2016 to 50 percent in 2024, reflecting weakening motivation to enter the labor market.
The percentage of those who were both willing to work and optimistic about finding a job also fell sharply, dropping from over 56 percent in 2015 to just 31 percent in 2024, a trend accelerated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Park Ung