[Senior Trend] Our Sustainable Life as Misaeng (未生)

The webtoon Misaeng, once hailed as the epitome of Korean office dramas, has returned. In 2014, it was adapted into a drama that gained immense popularity. In the game of Baduk (Go), Misaeng (未生) means "not yet alive." The sole winning condition in Baduk is to control more territory than the opponent. The story uses Baduk as a metaphor for life, portraying people's stories. In Season 2, serialized since last year, the protagonist Jang Geurae leaves a large corporation and is considering an overseas used car sales business at a small-to-medium enterprise founded by his former teammates. In last week's episode, writer Yoon Tae-ho’s words resonated deeply: “Retirement (停年), having to quit my work by someone else’s standards. Leaving the work I was best at, living a life where no one teaches me what to do next, and I have never learned from anyone.” It seemed to represent the feelings of the senior generation who are grappling with how to live amid increased lifespan and accelerated retirement due to aging.

The famous book Why We Work addresses the mindset and direction of work. In the era of living to 100, deciding “until when” to work has become important. Moreover, people now contemplate “where” and “how” to work. Changing times and life cycles are transforming perspectives on work. Today, we focus on “where” and discuss the trend of “regional living.” Previously, the senior generation favored “returning to farming or rural areas” after retirement. Now, “Rustic Life” is trending. Instead of completely moving to rural areas, people practice “5 days in the city, 2 days in the countryside” (5do2chon), live in provinces for a month, or take workations in Gangneung. It’s a lifestyle that enjoys the charm of nature and countryside while maintaining the comfort and convenience of city life. With the full-scale retirement of the baby boomer generation and the interest of the 2030 generation, this trend is truly hot. The MBC drama Jeonwon Ilgi, which aired over 40 years ago, is experiencing a resurgence, and tvN has followed the success of rural-themed shows like Three Meals a Day and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha with the recent launch of Kong Kong Pat Pat (meaning “Beans grow where beans are planted, red beans grow where red beans are planted”). A common thread is that no one is just playing and eating; everyone works but also rests appropriately. While there may be no big ventures, it seems enough to make a living. Unlike I Am a Natural Person, which depicts a reclusive self-sufficient lifestyle, people head to regions in their own ways.

A few days ago, a forum titled “The Local Era, Finding New Vitality in Regions,” hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, was held in Sejong. Korea’s economy achieved rapid growth through Seoul-centric concentration in a short period, but this also caused significant side effects. Living in the densely populated metropolitan area, competition is fierce, anxiety is high, and housing stability is low. Avoiding marriage and childbirth became natural. As population decline and regional extinction became visible, there was a consensus on the need to expand the living population and revitalize regional economies. The forum balanced research on “localism” and practical cases. It discussed how private and public sectors can collaborate in regions and what sustainable local businesses look like. Notably, for the first time this year, places that had been running youth village projects started connection projects for the middle-aged and senior generations. Puzzle Lab in Gongju offered a “Village Life Tutorial” for seniors, and Yeongdeok’s Made in People launched “Walking Village,” a Korean version of the Santiago pilgrimage, which drew attention. Professor Jeon Young-soo, a presenter, described “localism” as the last blue ocean that restores regional imbalances, embraces diversity, and leads our society into a mature strategy.

“Regional living” for seniors is being implemented in various areas. In Wonju, Gangwon Province, “Ddanjung Diary” (a workplace planning project for middle-aged people dreaming of another world) is representative. Even if they move to rural areas, seniors run their own bookstores, cafes, breweries, or become content creators. The program allows direct interaction with these seniors. One surprising fact learned through this event is that Wonju alone has 74 registered bookstores. Curious about how they make a living, I asked a bookstore owner. Some use the space for work or meetings, curate books reflecting their tastes, sell wind chimes, and carefully divide their domains to avoid overlap. They organize bookstore tours, small lectures, and book festivals. More than half are seniors who retired and relocated. It’s about coexistence rather than competition. Next month, “Pathfinder,” who wants to be a guide for the new middle-aged in Inje, will hold a fansumer (relational population) regional coexistence forum. The goal is to experience villages and seasonal produce and strengthen youth and middle-aged solidarity in the region. In Namwon, Jeolla Province, a “new middle-aged complex migration complex” and a “rural town development” project aiming for a stable resident population are underway simultaneously.

Stories abound of active new middle-aged people enjoying leisure in the metropolitan area after retirement. They try living abroad for a month, join guitar clubs, participate in shuffle dance challenges, and attend seminars on appreciating classic paintings. These are all positive developments. However, regions also offer abundant activities. Living a life that blends work with “life with evenings” to showcase personal talents and integrate into communities is attractive. After retirement, life is too long to just play. Moreover, due to industrial structural changes, sudden layoffs have increased not only for people in their 50s but also in their 30s and 40s due to worsening business conditions. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) will render some jobs obsolete. Keeping regions as an option, let us calmly refine our perspectives on sustainable life and work. Localism is just beginning and will open up as much as our imagination allows.

Lee Boram, CEO of Third Age

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