"Younger Generation Applying for High-Paying Clinical Trial Jobs Due to Increased Living Expenses"

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To Save Living Expenses, Packing Lunch Instead of Eating Out or Becoming a Literu-Jok
Increased Risk of Involvement in 'Voice Phishing' Due to Temptation of 'High-Income Part-Time Jobs'

Recently, there has been a surge in applications for clinical trials and bioequivalence studies, especially among young people. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Amid the ongoing era of high inflation, there is a surge in applications for clinical trials or bioequivalence studies (bioequivalence tests) that require participation for only 2 to 3 days, mainly among students, job seekers, and office workers who are burdened by increased living expenses.

On the 14th of last month, a post inquiring about the compensation for a domestic pharmaceutical company's COVID-19 treatment clinical trial was uploaded on a portal site. The post received replies such as "If you are a university student, you can cover your semester tuition; if not, you can cover a month's living expenses."

A portal cafe related to bioequivalence test part-time jobs, created on the 7th of last month, recorded over 900 members within about a month. During this period, hundreds of posts sharing reviews and information about clinical and bioequivalence test part-time jobs were uploaded to the cafe.

Some members said they intended to participate in bioequivalence tests to resolve financial difficulties. One member wrote, "Due to financial hardship, I am looking into both bioequivalence and clinical trials," while another posted, "Most of it is due to financial hardship," and "I do bioequivalence test part-time jobs because I need money." Additionally, posts about clinical trials or bioequivalence test part-time jobs were found in communities where job seekers and office workers gather.

Clinical trials are experiments conducted to verify the safety of new drugs during development, while bioequivalence tests are human experiments conducted to confirm whether a generic drug is biologically equivalent to the original drug when replicating and selling a drug whose patent period has expired. In the medical community, there are concerns about cases where people apply solely for financial reasons or without fully understanding the side effects.

The National Clinical Trial Support Foundation, a specialized institution for clinical trial support, recommends that clinical trial participants must confirm △the possible severity of side effects caused by the clinical trial △the impact of participation on daily life △whether sufficient preliminary research on humans has been conducted.

As the newly coined term "lunchflation" (a blend of lunch and inflation) emerges, the prices of dining out have risen significantly, leading to increased sales of convenience store lunch boxes and cup noodles.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Recently, young people have started seeking 'survival methods' amid high inflation by looking for late-night clearance sales or packing lunch boxes instead of eating out to save every penny. The number of 'Kangaroo tribe' adults who live with their parents and receive financial support is increasing, and there are even 'Littleroo tribe' individuals who, after leaving their parents' home, return due to the pressure of housing and living expenses.

While more people in their 20s and 30s are tightening their belts amid soaring prices, concerns are also rising about young people being deceived by job postings advertising 'high-paying part-time jobs' and becoming involved in voice phishing. Job search sites introduce simple errands, delivery, or office assistance jobs, but when contacted, individuals are used as cash collectors and become involved in crimes.

The number of young people getting involved in voice phishing crimes after being deceived by job postings labeled as "high-paying part-time jobs" is also increasing. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article.

In April, a teenage girl, A, who deceived a man in his 50s by claiming "your daughter was kidnapped in France" to extort money, was caught in the act while collecting cash. It was reported that A joined the crime after seeing a high-paying part-time job advertisement.

Cases like A's, where young people become involved in voice phishing, are increasing. According to statistics from the National Police Agency, 63% of voice phishing suspects last year were young people in their 20s and 30s. Among 22,045 related suspects arrested from April to December last year, those in their 20s or younger accounted for 9,149 (41.5%), and those in their 30s accounted for 4,711 (21.4%).

Those who participate in voice phishing as cash collectors or by transferring money on behalf of victims can be punished under charges such as fraud, aiding fraud, or organizing a criminal group. Additionally, impersonating financial institution employees or submitting forged documents can lead to charges of forgery and use of public or private documents.