Youth Isolation 24 Hours

Leading Korean ramen company Nongshim Co., Ltd. and Jeonbuk National University have agreed to actively participate in Jeonju City's 'Jeonju Hamkkeramyeon' project to prevent social isolation among single-person households and others. On the 20th, according to Jeonju City, an event titled 'Youth! Together with Jeonju Hamkkeramyeon, Out into the World' was held around Jeonbuk National University's Geonji Square Munhoeru area to raise awareness for preventing social isolation among youth and to promote the discovery of at-risk households. About 100 people attended the event, including Woo Beom-gi, Mayor of Jeonju City; Yang Oh-bong, President of Jeonbuk National University; Hwang Kyung-tae, Head of Nongshim Co., Ltd.'s Honam Sales Headquarters; Jeonbuk National University staff and students; and local residents. At the event, the city established a public-private cooperation system with Jeonbuk National University and Nongshim Co., Ltd.'s Honam Sales Headquarters to identify socially iso

"In Korea, people who form relationships only online through social networking services (SNS) or games are criticized as being 'addicted.' But isn't it more important first to understand what kind of social networks these people can actually reach?" On June 20, Koki Oozora, director of Japan's Anata no Ibasho (あなたのいばしょ), emphasized this point in a video interview with Asia Economy. Anata no Ibasho, meaning 'the place where you belong' in Japanese, is an online anonymous counseling platform operating 24/7, 365 days a year. Anyone feeling lonely can send a chat message and share their loneliness and worries with a counselor anytime, without needing to call or visit a counselor in person. To start chatting, users must complete a scale assessment that includes their age, employment status, and how often they usually feel lonely. The platform's founder, Director Oozora, introduced himself as someone who has personally experienced both youth isolation and loneliness. Growing up in a single-p

One in five workers worldwide reported feeling lonely in their daily lives. Despite meeting and conversing with various people during their work life, a significant number of employees experience social isolation and loneliness. In particular, in South Korea, many workers were found to struggle with fully immersing themselves in their work and job tasks. The proportion of workers who reported feeling engaged during work was only 13% in South Korea, significantly lower than both the global average and the East Asian average (18%). Gallup revealed on the 12th, through the "2024 Global Workplace Report," that 20% of workers worldwide experience loneliness. There was no gender gap between men and women, but workers under 35 years old (22%) felt lonelier than those aged 35 and above (19%). This is interpreted as younger workers having less social experience and fewer workplace networks, leading to more frequent feelings of loneliness. By region, South Asian workers reported the highest rate

Editor's NoteWhen eating alone after work, having hundreds of contacts saved on your phone but no one to confide in when going through tough times, or being unable to ask for help when sick or out of money... The young people in their 20s and 30s whom Asia Economy met confessed that they felt isolated in such moments. Could this be your story? If you have thought that words like 'hikikomori' or 'eundunhyeong oetoli' (reclusive youth) are stories from a different world, now is the time to properly reconsider isolation and seclusion."The most difficult part is getting isolated and reclusive youth to come out to support sites. Getting them to come every week itself is not easy. Often, we hesitate to encourage them by phone, fearing it might be a burden." Youth who are isolated and reclusive find it difficult to engage in outside activities, and even if there are programs supported by the government, local governments, or private organizations, the act of moving to the site itself is burde

With an estimated 540,000 isolated and reclusive youth nationwide, domestic organizations that have been identifying and supporting reclusive and isolated individuals and their families are holding their second forum in the inaugural year of the central government's pilot project. The Korea Association of Support Organizations for Reclusive and Isolated Individuals (Eungohyeop) announced that on the 28th at 2 PM, it will hold the 2nd forum titled "Reclusive and Isolated Youth: Examining the Key Elements of Support." The forum will be conducted via the Zoom video conferencing platform, and those wishing to participate can apply in advance. This forum will be divided into two sessions: Session 1 focusing on counseling support for reclusive youth, and Session 2 on activity support for reclusive youth. The presenter for Session 1 is Professor Kim Hye-won of Hoseo University’s Department of Youth Culture Counseling, who also serves as the chairperson of the nonprofit organization Findown Y

Editor's Note is a shortened form of 'Jung Hyunjin's Business Trend' and 'Real Business Trend,' a segment that showcases trends in changes in work."It feels like you have to be lucky." A friend who read the special report on youth isolation 24 hours said that just having someone at work to confide in seems to be a matter of luck. She, a woman in her mid-30s and a single-person household worker for 10 years, confessed that the cases in the article closely resembled her own situation and made her realize she was isolated. She wants to relieve the frustration she cannot resolve at work by meeting friends or family, but said, "Because of frequent overtime, even making a single phone call after work becomes a 'sorry' moment." She also added, "There are probably many people who don't even recognize that they are isolated." There are quite a few workers in situations similar to my acquaintance. In a survey on 'worker isolation' conducted by Asia Economy and Blind, one out of two work

Kim Mi-ae, a member of the People Power Party, stated, "We are discussing legislation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to support the healthy social life of isolated and reclusive youth," adding, "We will consider various approaches, including discussions with the government and gathering expert opinions." After the Asia Economy's special report , Rep. Kim promised, "In the 22nd National Assembly, I will pay more attention to activities for isolated and reclusive youth." She explained, "I occasionally meet parents in my constituency who want counseling regarding their children's reclusiveness. They are all full of worries and concerns," and added, "Many isolated youth suffer significant psychological and economic difficulties but often endure them alone due to fear of others' perceptions." Rep. Kim, who was a member of the Health and Welfare Committee in the 21st National Assembly, has shown great interest in the issue of isolated and reclusive youth. I

"Instead of agreeing to an interview, could you also summarize the situation in Korea?" Nomura Research Institute (NRI), Japan's largest think tank, was the first to conduct a survey on the everyday isolation issues faced by workers in their 20s and 30s in Japan. Our publication proposed an interview with NRI for overseas case coverage on 'Youth Isolation 24 Hours,' and NRI accepted on the condition that we share the situation in Korea instead. The interviewee's counterproposal was quite unusual. Especially since Japan has devised various policies for "hikikomori," or socially withdrawn individuals, and was once considered a model country for measures addressing withdrawal issues. It was puzzling why they wanted to learn about Korea's situation in return. Through repeated communication, the question was quickly resolved. Japan had focused only on severe forms of isolation such as hikikomori and lonely deaths, but had not actually examined how people feel loneliness and isolation in the

Editor's NoteWhen 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... Young people in their 20s and 30s whom Asia Economy met confessed to feeling isolated in such moments. Could this be your story? If you have thought that words like 'hikikomori' or 'eundunhyeong oeltoli' (reclusive social withdrawal) are stories from a different world, now is the time to properly reconsider isolation and withdrawal."It has been confirmed that the mental health of people experiencing loneliness and social isolation together is in the most severe state. They suffer from emotional loneliness and social alienation, eventually becoming completely socially isolated." The first step to solving isolation and withdrawal issues is for the individual to recognize their own problem. Once they understand whether they feel lonely and socially isolated, they can take action to resolve the i

Editor's NoteWhen eating alone after work, having hundreds of contacts saved on your phone but no one to confide in when things are tough, or being unable to ask for help when sick or out of money... Young people in their 20s and 30s whom Asia Economy met confessed to feeling isolated in such moments. Could this be your story? If you have thought that words like 'hikikomori' or 'eundunhyeong oeltori' (reclusive social withdrawal) are stories from a different world, now is the time to properly reconsider isolation and social withdrawal.The international organization that was busiest during the global COVID-19 crisis was undoubtedly the World Health Organization (WHO). In May last year, 3 years and 3 months after declaring the pandemic, WHO announced the end of the emergency. Then, just six months later in November of the same year, WHO created the 'Commission on Social Connection' to respond to another urgent health threat. This was because loneliness and social isolation had worsened t