In the Era of 10 Million COVID-19 Cases, Hyper-Individualism Has Increased

Work from Home, No-Drinking Gatherings, Separate Living... Established New Trends

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Jang Sehee and Gong Byungseon] Kim (33), who works at a large corporation in Songpa-gu, Seoul, receives a monthly deposit of 50,000 won labeled as "ㅇㅇ Day expenses" in his account. As the culture of company dinners disappeared, it changed to a system where dinner expenses are divided by income quintiles and paid onto welfare cards. Kim saves this money and spends it on digital devices, clothing, and other personal consumption. Jo (30), who works at a financial company in Yeouido, Seoul, is an advocate of remote work. He said, "The only good thing about COVID-19 is remote work; everything else is negative," adding, "Although remote work has decreased from three times a week to once, the work efficiency is higher, so I hope it continues even after the pandemic ends."

The era of 10 million COVID-19 cases is creating new cultures. COVID-19 has solidified individualism in both voluntary and involuntary ways in work and life. Lee (50), a large corporation employee, has lived as a separated family for about a month. Due to frequent meetings and gatherings at work, when he became a close contact, he stayed at a motel near his home and his parents' house. When his child contracted COVID-19, and later when he himself was infected, he lived alone outside. Lee said, "Now all three family members have COVID-19 and live together, but we are preparing for the possibility of becoming a separated family again if reinfected." Moon (34), a pregnant working mom, also avoided infection by living separately for a week at a nearby hotel. Park (32), an office worker, said, "I lived in the on-call room for a week, eating and sleeping there."

There are also voices concerned about side effects. Jang (33), an office worker, said, "Although I recovered after COVID-19, my parents wanted me to visit at least two months later, so I couldn't go back to my hometown," expressing regret. Oh (30), a single office worker, said, "While quarantining with family, we had disagreements over every detail when ordering delivery food, and at one point, we closed the door and argued over the phone." Nam (41), a school staff member, said, "With the increase in Omicron cases, no company dinners are being scheduled," adding, "I want to gain energy through group activities."

As community culture disappears, the damage has fallen squarely on self-employed business owners. Jeong (63), who runs a pub in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, said, "I paid 60 million won in key money to start, but I can't close the business freely because the contract period hasn't expired," adding, "There are days when not a single customer comes." The owner (37) of Insaeng Hoejip, who operated 24-hour service in protest of government quarantine measures, said, "I don't remember ever hosting a group of about eight people." Min Sangheon, co-representative of the COVID-19 Victims Self-Employed Business Association, appealed, "Since the company dinner culture has completely disappeared due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, please lift the time restrictions."

Professor Gu Jeongwoo of the Department of Sociology at Sungkyunkwan University said, "COVID-19 has accelerated individualization," adding, "The MZ generation values work-life balance and considers it part of their identity, while older generations still hold onto the past inertia of prioritizing organizations." Professor Song Jaeryong of the Department of Sociology at Kyung Hee University said, "It is positive that an environment where individual beliefs or choices are respected is naturally being created," but also analyzed, "However, acting and deciding alone can be psychologically burdensome and, in severe cases, may lead to depression."

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