[Youth Isolation 24 Hours] Eating Hetbahn and Ramen for 3 Years and Playing Games All Day... When Anxiety Worsens, Eventually...

<1>Isolated and Reclusive Youths Interviewed by Asia Economy
④Three Reclusive Youths Share Their 'That Day' Stories
Cut Off from Friends and Acquaintances... Also Estranged from Family
Irregular Daily Patterns with Many Skipped Meals
Considered and Attempted Suicide

Editor's Note
When eating alone after work, having hundreds of contacts saved on your phone but no one to confide in during tough times, or being unable to ask for help when sick or out of money... The young adults in their 20s and 30s whom Asia Economy met confessed feeling isolated in such moments. Could this be your story? If you have thought that words like 'hikikomori' or 'reclusive loner' belong to a different world, now is the time to properly reconsider isolation and seclusion.

Complete withdrawal from social activities and confinement to home or room, known as 'seclusion,' does not happen overnight. Increasingly, young people find themselves in serious seclusion as everyday isolation seeps in like a drizzle, accumulating over time. Gradually reduced human relationships and the disappearance of people to ask for help in difficult situations lead to isolation, which then progresses to seclusion?stopping social activities and confining oneself to limited spaces like home or a room.

The young adults in their 20s and 30s who Asia Economy met also agreed, saying, "At first, an inexplicable lethargy weighed down daily life, and gradually, I spent more time alone inside the house." According to a survey conducted last year by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the daily lives of about 3,800 isolated and secluded young people, three common traits were found among them: 'No interaction with friends or close acquaintances in the past two weeks' (28.7%), 'Irregular eating habits' (72.4%), and 'Consideration of death' (75.4%).

Unable to Distinguish Day from Night... Severed Interaction with Others

Hyunwoo Kwon (38), who lived in seclusion for about a year and a half starting June 2012, experienced this as well. Since elementary school, Kwon dreamed of becoming a diplomat. In the summer of 2012, holding onto the dream of passing the foreign service exam, he moved into a small 2-pyeong (approx. 7 square meters) goshiwon (exam preparation lodging) in Sillim-dong. However, what Kwon repeatedly received were rejection notices. As failures continued, the first thing he cut off was contact with close friends and acquaintances. When friends asked how he was doing, Kwon said he deliberately did not reply.

"I always told people around me that I would pass the foreign service exam. But as I kept failing, I had nothing left to present as myself. I felt like my existence was fading away."

He also almost completely cut off contact with his family. Once a week, his parents would check in, asking if he was studying well, but all he ever replied was "I'm doing well." Kwon recalled, "At that time, I was so lethargic that I barely studied, but my parents hardly knew my situation. I hated letting others know about my failures, so I cut off all contact with others and lived alone inside the house."

Kwon Hyun-woo [Illustration by Lee Young-woo]

Na Inchae (28), who lived in seclusion for three years starting March 2021, had a similar experience. Na locked herself in her room after conflicts with her parents over career choices. During her seclusion, she stayed up all night playing games until 7 a.m., then woke up around 3 to 4 p.m., repeating this cycle. She ate only when she felt hungry upon waking, sometimes skipping meals. There were days when she ate nothing for two days straight. Her main meals consisted of large quantities of pre-cooked rice (Hetbahn) and instant noodles purchased online.

"My day and night were completely reversed. I played games until I got tired, then slept in the morning, waking up to find the sun had already set. I mostly ate food or gifticons I got through SNS (social networking service) supporter activities or processed foods bought in bulk online."

Na In-chae [Illustration by Young-woo Lee]

Following severed contact with others and irregular lifestyle came 'emotional instability.' As anxiety symptoms worsened, secluded young people seriously considered or even attempted death. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare survey, more than 7 out of 10 isolated and secluded young respondents thought about death, and about 1 in 4 had experience attempting it. The longer the period of isolation and seclusion, the higher the rate of considering or attempting extreme measures.

Younggeol Jang (25), who lived alone in a goshiwon from age 21 due to conflicts with his father and sister since childhood, reached the brink of death during his 3.5 years of isolation. He fled his home to escape his family and moved to a nearby goshi village, but as time alone grew longer, his depression and panic symptoms worsened. Jang suddenly thought, "I wish I could just die like this." He searched online portals and communities for "ways to die painlessly," among other things.

"After leaving the hellish home and living alone, at first, the goshi hotel felt peaceful and good. But as I stopped going out and spent more time alone, symptoms like depression, panic disorder, and social phobia appeared. Later, I had thoughts of wanting to die and actually attempted it."

Jang Young-gul [Illustration by Young-woo Lee]

Kwon, who secluded himself after repeated failures in the foreign service exam, also had experiences of thinking about death. While working as a secretary to a member of the National Assembly after giving up the exam, he once felt an impulse to crash into a fence and fall into the Han River while driving. The psychiatrist he visited was surprised and asked, "Why did you come only now?" That day, Kwon was diagnosed with depression and prescribed medication.

"The doctor listened to my symptoms and asked, 'Why did you come only now?' I didn't even know I was suffering from depression. I had been worsening the illness without realizing it. I should have gone to the hospital earlier, but I lived not knowing I was sick."

On a rainy weekend night, young people are studying at a library in Gyeonggi-do.
[Photo by Heo Young-han]

Objects, Not People, Helped Endure Isolation and Seclusion

What objects provided comfort to those living in seclusion in small rooms of about 2 to 3 pyeong? Three young people who had been confined to their rooms for years responded to Asia Economy's request to introduce the most precious item to them during their seclusion, each sharing their own story. They expressed their innermost feelings in their own ways, which they had not shared with anyone else during their seclusion. These outlets were the driving force that helped them endure isolation and seclusion and were the most precious objects, the young people unanimously said.

Kwon cautiously brought up 'four-panel comics', a hobby he started during his foreign service exam preparation to find small joys. He began writing a diary to relieve his frustration, but since the pages were always filled with dark and gloomy thoughts, he started drawing comics instead. He was captivated by the charm of comics, which could express the depressing reality in a much more fun and lighthearted way than writing. "Drawing helped me bring out many inner thoughts and gave me comfort. It was the driving force that kept me alive during seclusion."

'Four-panel comic' drawn by Kwon Hyun-woo
Photo by Kwon Hyun-woo

For Na, who loved games, the 'smartphone' was the only communication channel to the outside world. During seclusion, the only time she communicated with others was when she logged into game communities and chatted with teammates. Although she did not know their faces or names, talking about common topics made her feel somewhat alive.

For Jang, the most special item during seclusion was the 'wireless keyboard' he used. Jang wrote about his family issues, conflicts with his parents, and his gloomy feelings two to three times a week, filling one A4 page each time. Writing candidly helped ease his anxious mind. Jang said, "I started writing essays to organize my thoughts in the room, and I realized a lot about how I was feeling. At first, my writings were full of negative thoughts like 'Why is everyone else doing well except me?' but gradually, they improved."

The cellphone used by Na In-chae during seclusion (left) and the wireless keyboard used by Jang Young-gul (right)
[Photo by Na In-chae, Jang Young-gul]

Check your level of loneliness and risk of social isolation

Loneliness and Social Isolation Scale

https://www.asiae.co.kr/list/project/2024050314290051322A

If you want to read the '24 Hours of Youth Isolation' articles

<1>Isolated and Secluded Youths Met by Asia Economy
① I am a 28-year-old isolated youth... "A being who cannot fulfill a single role"
② Isolation caused by employment... A day spent without saying a word
③ Harder than parenting is having no one to talk to... That's how depression came
④ Eating Hetbahn and instant noodles for 3 years and playing games all day... Emotional instability worsens and eventually

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