The latest star policy of the South Korean government does not focus on its worrying problem with insomnia, exposure to natural disasters or the fight against corruption, all problems with which the country deals. He doesn’t even point to its technological muscle or the complicated relations with Pyongyang. Its focus is quite another: caring for lonely young people, who spend their days cloistered at home, such a headache for the authorities that they have decided to assign them subsidies of 449 euros to encourage them to go out.
The measure is striking, but it has its logic.
A “little push” to leave home. The measure has been announced by the South Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which has introduced it as part of its Youth Welfare Support Law. Their goal is simple: to help underage Koreans living in seclusion to “reintegrate into society.”
Of the proposals he puts forward, the most striking is a monthly allowance of up to 650,000 won (about 449 euros) for isolated and lonely young people. Of course, they must meet certain requirements: be between 9 and 24 years old and reside in a household with an income below the national average, which in South Korea – specifies CNN – is set at around 3,700 euros for four people.
And what else does he propose? The objective emphasizes the Minister for Gender Equality, Kim Hyun-sook, is to provide “special help to young people in crisis who need social and economic support” and thus contribute to their “healthy development”. The measure connects with a broader plan already announced in November 2022 to ensure the psychological and emotional health of young people and contemplates other lines of work, such as support in education, work and health. It also provides for additional actions, such as contributing or reinforcing social networks and early detection.
Guardian He specifies that among the aid contemplated would be the payment of interventions to, for example, correct scars “of which adolescents may feel ashamed.” Other measures would include support with school and gym supplies or allowances for cultural experiences.
How serious is the problem? The data handled by the authorities is eloquent. According to his calculations, about 3.1% of South Koreans between the ages of 19 and 39 are lonely and live in isolation, reclusiveness, largely disconnected from the outside world and having difficulty enjoying a “normal life.” The percentage may not seem excessive, but it translates to around 340,000 people. The studies also conclude that in 40% of the cases the isolation began during adolescence, the stage on which the new measure focuses.
Target: the “hikikomori”. The phenomenon is widespread and studied enough to even have its own name, “hikikomori”, a Japanese term for those people who live like modern hermits, isolated, solitary. The NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) defines it as “a form of severe social withdrawal.” The problem is certainly not unique to South Korea. Several years ago the Japanese authorities carried out a survey that showed that 1.57% of its population conformed to that label.
The report from the South Korean authorities helps to understand it better, with real cases. One of those they cite is carried out by a person who attributes his situation to an episode of domestic violence that he experienced at the age of 15: “It depressed me so much that I began to live in seclusion.” In another case, the affected person began to withdraw after his family went bankrupt. In its study, the Government emphasizes the impact of extreme isolation and how it even affects the physical development of young people due to factors such as an “imbalanced diet.”
beyond isolation. The measure seeks to support isolated youth so they can “reintegrate into society,” but it is linked to other problems facing Korea. The alarming drop in the birth rate, with a record low number of births in 2022, has slimmed down its working-age population and the nation faces the risk of becoming one of the oldest.
Cover image: Markus Winkler (Unsplash)
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