"Why Am I the Only One Not Getting a Job?" 'Employment Stress' Causing Depression and Hwabyeong... Crime Concerns Too [Heo Midam's Youth Report]

Young Adults with Hwabyeong Doubled in 5 Years
Employment Stress Also a Major Cause of Crime
Experts Say "Youth Must Find Ways to Relieve Stress"

Job seekers are browsing the job posting board. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Editor's Note] How is your youth remembered? From teenagers to college students and office workers, we share the joys and sorrows unique to 'youth.'

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "What’s the point of preparing so hard for employment?", "I’m angry because I couldn’t achieve my goals due to COVID-19."

As the employment freeze caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, stress among young people who have failed to secure jobs is reaching its peak. Some are experiencing symptoms of 'hwabyeong'?a Korean culture-bound syndrome?feeling not only depression but also anger and despair. The problem is that their anger could lead to retaliatory crimes. Experts suggest having personal hobbies to relieve stress.

Job seeker Kim (27) said, "When acquaintances started getting jobs one by one, I decided not to apply, thinking I would build one or two more specs than others. But as the COVID-19 situation reduced job openings and increased competition, it became difficult to even pass the document screening." He added, "I was more angry thinking that I couldn’t get a job because there were fewer jobs, rather than thinking I was lacking."

He continued, "When I talk about employment with my parents, I sometimes get so angry that I storm out without realizing it," and lamented, "I hate how I get angry over trivial things."

Many young people complain of employment stress like Kim. According to a JobKorea survey (March 2020), the symptoms experienced during employment stress (multiple responses allowed) were mainly ▲fatigue and lethargy (69.4%) ▲depression (58.2%). Following these were ▲headaches and migraines (41.2%) ▲irritability and frequent anger (32.3%).

On the 7th, a statue of the Virgin Mary at a church in Busan was found partially damaged. Photo by Busan Police Agency

The problem is that excessive stress can lead to impulsive behavior or violence.

A representative case is a man in his 20s, A, who was arrested for throwing money at a statue of the Virgin Mary in a church in Busan on the 7th, damaging it. He entered the churchyard and threw stones he had prepared in advance, breaking the left arm of the statue.

During police investigation, A reportedly stated, "I couldn’t get a job after graduating from university," and "I threw stones at the Virgin Mary statue as a target to vent my employment stress."

In November last year, job seeker B (27) scratched five parked cars with a sharp object in an alley in Bukgajwa-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, and fled, but was later identified. B reportedly told the police that he was stressed due to difficulties finding a job amid the COVID-19 aftermath.

As feelings of frustration, lethargy, and depression escalate to tendencies toward retaliatory crimes, concerns about the mental health of young people are growing. Expressing anger indiscriminately through violent means can fuel social anxiety.

In fact, the number of young people visiting hospitals for hwabyeong is increasing. Hwabyeong refers to various physical and mental symptoms that appear when temporary or chronic stress cannot be properly relieved. Typical symptoms include feelings of suffocation and lethargy, and in severe cases, behaviors such as cursing, violence, and severe irritability.

According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service’s health care big data open system, the number of patients in their 20s visiting Korean medicine hospitals for hwabyeong increased from 856 in 2015 to 1,477 in 2019, nearly doubling in five years. Patients in their 30s also increased from 1,293 in 2015 to 1,895 in 2019, a 1.5-fold increase over five years.

Experts recommend finding personal ways to relieve stress. Professor Kwak Geumju of Seoul National University’s Department of Psychology said, "Many people are facing various restrictions due to COVID-19. Especially restrictions on physical movement and meeting people cause feelings of unfairness and anger toward society as a whole." She analyzed, "People need to relieve this stress, but due to many restrictions caused by COVID-19, it has become difficult to do so, leading to conditions like hwabyeong."

She added, "To overcome these symptoms, it is good to increase physical activity as much as possible," and emphasized, "It is also important to create your own ways to express emotions positively."