Pressure to follow social norms pushes jobless young people into isolation

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129,000 young people in Seoul live secluded from society

By Lee Yeon-woo

Around 20 unemployed young people gathered at Gongdeok Station in western Seoul, last Thursday, to participate in an event called "NEET walking day." An acronym for "Not in Education, Employment or Training," NEET refers to a person who is unemployed or not receiving education or vocational training.

Participants came from all over the country for the event. One person who came from the southwestern city of Gwangju stayed overnight, while some others took multi-hour bus trips to get there. Despite being strangers, the participants flocked together with one hope: to step out of their rooms and connect with others.

The program was organized by NEET People, a nonprofit startup that aims to help unemployed young people deal with their situation in healthy ways.

"If you feel down at home due to unemployment, why don't you come outside, take a walk, loosen up and enjoy the beautiful scenery?" a NEET People online notice said.

Any feelings of awkwardness at the gathering disappeared as soon as they started walking. The silence was soon broken by the sounds of people asking questions and conversing with each other.

"When I got here, I felt awkward because there was no one that I knew, but it was great because other people talked to me first. In addition, I got the feeling that the hosts made great efforts to take care of everybody," one participant said after the program.

"We share the same experiences so now I feel a sense of having bonded with them."

Participants of the "NEET walking day" program walk through Gyeongui Line Forest Park near Gongdeok Station in western Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Lee Yeon-woo

According to Seoul Metropolitan Government data, an estimated 4.5 percent of young people in Seoul, or about 129,000, live in isolation or seclusion from society. The number is expected to reach 610,000 if the rate is applied nationwide.

The study showed that 45.5 percent of them were having difficulties finding jobs, while 40.9 percent and 40.3 percent, respectively, suffered from psychological difficulties and problems forming interpersonal relationships.

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Park Eun-mi, a co-representative of NEET People, said that young people may fall into a "NEET state" due to various factors.

"Nowadays there are so many young people who are desperately preparing to enter the job market only to fail. Even after they get a job, some of them suffer from unpleasant experiences at work," Park said.

"Those frustrating experiences make young people not only experience psychological difficulties such as panic disorder or depression, but also physical ailments. Since they are not healthy, they lose vitality and end up being alone. During the process, they become overwhelmed by feelings of loneliness."

Jeon Seong-shin, another co-representative, pointed out that Korean society fails to embrace people who break away from societal norms, or "the "normal track," as she put it.

People in Korean society are expected to adhere to a set course in life. First, you must graduate from elementary, middle and high school without any trouble. Next, you need to enter university ― preferably a higher-ranking one ― and find a decent job before graduation. Next, you have to make money, get married and raise a family.

"If you miss one step and diverge from that route, you will immediately face hurdles. Consider teenagers who choose to leave school. Consider a person who decides to work instead of going to university. Those decisions can have bigger-than-expected effects on their lives," Jeon said.

"This society is not very generous to people who attempt to start over."

A woman in her late 20s, who asked to be identified by her alias Woongbi, said she also could not stop worrying about her future, even when she was receiving psychological counseling and treatment.

"The illness in mind had developed into bodily symptoms, so I needed absolute rest and comfort. But I could not fully rest as I felt impatient (about my future). I entered graduate school but quit after two months. I even tried to do a simple part-time job, but I quit again after 10 days because I couldn't overcome my social phobia and panic attacks," Woongbi said. After that, she chose to seclude herself in her room for three years.

University students line up for consultations with corporate recruitment representatives at a Dongguk University job fair in Seoul in September 2022. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon

Park said that unemployed young people also want to stop feeling exhausted and yearn for a sense of belonging. But the current government policy toward the problem of youth unemployment puts the focus on highly motivated people successfully landing positions in the job market. Young people who are in no state of mind to work or do not know what they want to do are often excluded from the policy support.

Park said government policies should cover more diverse cases.

"Let's say receiving vocational training is at level three. The policy should also focus on people who are in level one or two so that they can climb up to the third level," she said.

Believing that everyone in the "NEET state" can change for the better, NEET People tries to offer comfort and confidence by hosting a series of programs where struggling young people can open up to one another with their stories and find courage.

"If you become unemployed, you have no ground to stand on. You are concerned about how other people look at you while suffering financially. The psychological burden also mounts. As a result, you feel more isolated and become secluded," Woongbi said. "The fact that unemployed people are here together, looking after and supporting each other comforted me. I was not the only one who was struggling with the shame of being unemployed."