[Power K-Women] "It's Okay to Be Anything"... Youths Finding 'Themselves' in Isolation

'Company Play' for Unemployed Youth by Neet Company
Isolated Young People Recover Relationships and Self-Esteem
"We Dream of a Society and Culture Where Anything Is Okay"

Editor's NoteAsia Economy will select women who are active not only in Asia but around the world as 'Power K-Women' at the Women's Leaders Forum to be held this October. We have chosen individuals who have overcome and broken down barriers such as race, borders, and disabilities as 'Power K-Women.' This is to widely promote the value of those who have fought back without shrinking from discrimination or being trapped by boundaries, and to convey new values of leadership to youth and women. Their stories will provide comfort to a weary world, become role models for someone, and give the community the strength to move forward again.
Date ｜ Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 9:00 AM ? 5:20 PM
Venue ｜ Lotte Hotel Crystal Ballroom (2F), Sogong-dong

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] “I wanted to solve the problem of young people becoming isolated for long periods during their ‘unemployment’ phase and having their daily lives collapse.”

Park Eun-mi and Jeon Seong-shin, co-CEOs of the non-profit startup ‘Neetsaenghwalja’ (NEET Life), which runs the company ‘Neet Company’ where unemployed people, or ‘baeksu’ (jobless), gather, said this in unison. Like anyone else, neither of them were jobless from the start. They were simply exhausted after nearly ten years of working.

Park said, “I was always under the belief that I had to keep working, so I kept trying to continue working,” adding, “After my last job in 2019, I felt it was impossible to do anything more; it felt like standing at the edge of a cliff.” Jeon felt the same. He said, “After about ten years of organizational life, I was burned out and didn’t want to jump back into the job market, promote myself, and repeat the pattern of belonging somewhere and working again. I wanted to give myself a break and hoped to do something other than just get a job.”

K-Women Interview_Park Eun-mi, Co-CEO of Jeonseongshin Knit Life./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

They felt lonelier and more isolated than anyone else. Looking around, they found many others in similar situations. Many people were losing their will to seek jobs and their daily lives were collapsing in front of the needle’s eye of the job market. It was heartbreaking to see them cut off from society during their ‘unemployment’ period. Not wanting to return to traditional organizational life, they created a new organization: ‘Neetsaenghwalja,’ a platform where unemployed youth can unite and collaborate.

‘Company Play’ for the Jobless: Neet Company

Participants of the Neet Company program for NEETs are taking a commemorative photo. (Source: Neet Saenghwalja official website)

The main program run by Neetsaenghwalja is ‘Neet Company.’ It is a kind of ‘company play’ for the jobless. Over a 100-day course, participants meet new people, feel a sense of belonging, and recover their self-esteem and daily routine. It has its own system. The eligibility to join is being unemployed and under 39 years old. Applicants must fill out an application form. The longer the period of unemployment, the more recognition one receives. There is also an interview process, but it is the exact opposite of a typical job interview. The company members introduce themselves, and the interviewer asks questions. If the candidate likes the company after the interview, they join.

There is also a fixed schedule for company life. First, members must clock in and out. They report to the online chatroom that they have started work at 9 AM and finished at 6 PM. Park explained, “100 days is longer than expected, so while everyone is very motivated during the first week, some find it difficult. As we get to know people who were severely isolated or depressed, we encourage them gently rather than pressuring them, helping them regain energy.”

There are weekly meetings and in-house club activities. Small group meetings and various group outdoor activities are also held. After 100 days, participants are forced to leave, as their contract expires. Although the system might seem strict, everyone participates happily. This is because the program is not about business goals or achieving results. Their work is what they ‘want to do.’ Anything is fine. From walking dogs and training parrots to drawing and copying poetry, participants choose what they wanted to do but couldn’t and repeat it daily. The company motto is ‘Anything will do.’

Park said, “During unemployment, everything must be managed by oneself, so it’s hard to make daily routines. We help recover daily life through small actions like starting the day by brushing teeth or walking 5,000 steps a day.”

“It’s okay not to make excuses”…A period to find the lost ‘self’

Some question how this differs from job study groups that job seekers run. They say it’s not much different from reporting wake-up times in an online chatroom and ‘certifying’ what they did. However, the organizers argue it is fundamentally different. Job study groups still involve internal competition and focus solely on personal goals. Park said, “Neet Company’s goal is not employment but forming relationships and recovering self-esteem. Even after the program ends, unemployment doesn’t necessarily end. What’s more important is that participants understand others and gain a new perspective on society.”

Participants find comfort in this aspect. Jeon said, “While preparing for society’s demands by getting TOEIC scores and joining study groups can create community and bonds, people live in much more diverse ways. Participants find comfort in knowing they don’t have to explain or justify why they are jobless, and they gain a broader perspective to view others more relaxedly.”

Park added, “Unemployed youth feel burdened by costs wherever they go and become more withdrawn as they repeatedly have to explain who they are. We provide a place and program where they can feel at ease and regain their true selves.”

Held Nationwide…Gaining Popularity through Word of Mouth

Since starting last year, Neet Company has been held 12 times as of last month. Several ‘branches’ have opened in places like Gwangju, Busan, and Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The number of ‘graduates’ has reached 900. Initially, some questioned the negative connotation of the word ‘baeksu’ (jobless). But as more people seeking themselves spread the word, some even wait a year to join.

The participants have become more diverse. Park said, “The spectrum of people in unemployment is quite broad. People isolated for ten years, freelancers, former journalists, and many others with various deficiencies have come.”

Accordingly, the program is expanding in various ways. ‘Neet Office’ is a representative program where those long isolated can physically experience commuting twice a week and regain self-esteem. There is also ‘Neet Invest,’ a program for those dreaming of careers other than employment. It supports small costs and connects participants with experts in various fields to help them turn what they love into a profession.

“We Dream of a Society Where Anything Is Okay”

K-Women Interview_Park Eun-mi, Co-CEO of Jeonseongshin Knit Life./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Neetsaenghwalja does not want to be just a resting place to soothe and comfort the jobless but hopes a new culture will take root. They want to be a pathway where people can make a living and enjoy a stable life through the work they want or new work.

Therefore, Neet Company does not promise or talk about what will happen if you participate. Park said, “Some say after spending 100 days having their own time and interacting with others, they now have the strength to live without belonging anywhere. I think these people are excellent employees,” emphasizing, “Ultimately, it’s about having the mindset that it’s okay to live my way without living within the frames society sets, and that culture taking root.”

Both believe that if such a culture takes root, it will benefit society as a whole. Jeon said, “Unemployed youth picking up trash or accompanying elderly women to hospitals without expecting anything in return are doing work that is monetarily valued in the care sector. They are fulfilling their roles as members of society, but it’s unfortunate they are marginalized just because they are not economically active.” He added, “The concept of working decades at one company is disappearing, so such gaps can happen to anyone and often come unexpectedly to this generation. If young people have knowledge or choices on how to spend this time, it benefits society as a whole. I hope we don’t let youth blame themselves and fall into helplessness while struggling alone.”

▲Co-CEOs Park Eun-mi, Jeon Seong-shin ▲Founded Neetsaenghwalja in 2019