[With Corona Era] People Finding Hobbies and Heading Outdoors... Anyway, Daily Life Has Returned

<Part 2> Anyway, Daily Life Has Restarted

Top Desired Activity: 'Travel'
Weekend Trips with Friends
Resuming Various Postponed Activities
Working Up a Sweat in Adult Baseball and Other Sports

On the first day of the phased return to normal life (With Corona) on the 1st, passengers bound for Tashkent, Uzbekistan, are waiting to check in at the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "From now on, I plan to spend my time engaging in active hobbies."

Office worker Choi Jin-ho (31) recently decided to learn Kendo with his girlfriend. Due to concerns about COVID-19 infection, he had been living a 'stay-at-home' lifestyle, spending his time after work watching YouTube or Netflix on his smartphone. However, the transition to With COVID became a turning point. Having completed his vaccination, his concerns about infection have significantly decreased. He said, "It feels like it's been quite a while since I went on a date that my girlfriend wanted because of COVID," adding, "I'm happy to be able to spend time learning Kendo, which we've always wanted to do together."

As the return to daily life begins with With COVID, more people are starting new hobbies or resuming activities they had temporarily postponed.

On the first day of the phased return to normal life (With Corona) on the 1st, citizens visited Jeongdong-gil in Jung-gu, Seoul, where the autumn leaves were vividly colored, to enjoy the autumn atmosphere. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Mr. Lee (32), who has played baseball for over ten years, is also rejoining his amateur baseball team activities. He had taken a break because it was difficult to exercise while wearing a mask and he worried about the risk of infection during contact with opposing teams. The strengthening of social distancing even led to the cancellation of office worker league games. With the transition to With COVID, outdoor sports have become possible again, and most team members, including himself, have completed their vaccinations. Mr. Lee explained, "Although I made many defensive errors after such a long time, just running around was enjoyable."

Many are also heading outdoors. Office worker Kang Hyun-soo (28) plans to travel to Donghae City, Gangwon Province, with friends this weekend. He said, "I usually stay home on weekends, but with the transition to With COVID, I decided to go on a trip with friends," adding, "I can hardly remember the last time I saw the beach." According to a survey conducted by the accommodation platform ‘Yogi-otte’ of 1,942 app users, the top activity people want to do first after the start of With COVID is ‘free travel (81.5%)’. This was followed by ‘large gatherings with many acquaintances (48.0%)’ and ‘attending festivals and performances (37.1%)’.

People expect that hobbies and outdoor activities will help alleviate the depression caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, known as COVID Blue. Mr. Kang (27), who started cycling after the transition to With COVID, said, "During remote work, I often felt lethargic and depressed because I didn’t go outside and relied on delivery food for meals," adding, "As I resume outdoor activities, I feel that the COVID Blue is gradually easing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.