Bitter End of Imitating Japan... Youths Urging for Korean-Style Policies [Youth Isolation 24 Hours]

<5> Limits of Korea's Three No's Policy
③ Three No's: Korea-Style Customized Policy
High Willingness in Korea to Escape Isolation and Seclusion
Need to Create Korea-Only Policies Different from Japan and the UK

"I want to earn money on my own and live independently. I want to support my parents comfortably without burdening them." - A pseudonymous 20s reclusive youth 'Shingil'

"Even during my over 10 years of reclusion, I have consistently done short-term part-time jobs such as hall serving and kitchen assistance." - A pseudonymous 30s woman 'Kkyu'

Reclusive and isolated youth in Korea usually stay hidden but step outside to earn money. This is quite different from Japan's 'Hikikomori,' often seen as the archetype of reclusive loners. In Japan, most Hikikomori cut off from social and economic activities and live in seclusion for decades. It has become a social issue that 80-year-old parents support their 50-year-old reclusive children. Korean reclusive youth who have experienced various government policies appeal for Korea-specific tailored measures rather than policies copied from the UK, Japan, or other countries.

During the [Youth Isolation 24 Hours] coverage, Asia Economy held a roundtable discussion on March 22 at 'Dudeojip,' a shelter for isolated and reclusive youth located in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, with five reclusive youths, hearing vivid voices from the field. The names of the youths participating in the roundtable are pseudonyms used by Dudeojip.

A roundtable held by the nonprofit organization Seeds, a space for reclusive youth. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

All participants in the roundtable have experience with short-term jobs such as working at logistics centers. They said they go out to earn money themselves when they cannot pay monthly rent during their reclusion or cannot ask their parents for help. A 20s reclusive youth '3352' said, "Before coming to Dudeojip, I worked as a telemarketer at a call center," and added, "After that, I visited community centers to check announcements and occasionally worked by applying for support projects like public work programs as they became available."

When told, "It seems everyone here has a strong will to return to society," all participants nodded. Especially, they showed a strong desire for self-development and employment. Shingil is working on self-realization alongside government job programs. Since three years ago, he has been writing web novels and switched to a paid subscription model from January, earning 60,000 KRW by March.

A 20s male 'Hansho' is running a YouTube channel introducing various museums, leveraging his hobby of museum visits. His primary goal is also employment. 3352 said, "Ultimately, even if I receive support, it is all for independence. I believe it is right to find my own path."

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's first-ever survey on isolated and reclusive youth conducted last year, 80.8% of isolated and reclusive youth responded that they want to escape their current situation. The most needed policy was 'economic support (88.7%)', followed by 'employment and work experience support (82.2%)'. This indicates a strong will not only to seek jobs but also to engage in economic activities. This is why policies tailored to Korea's unique characteristics must be developed.

A roundtable held by the nonprofit organization Seeds, a space for reclusive youth. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

The isolated and reclusive youth participating in the roundtable appealed that policies focusing first on jobs for isolated and reclusive youth are necessary. Repeated job failures during the job search process trigger isolation, and maladaptation during work after employment leads to re-isolation. Above all, they emphasized the need for a ladder role to help youth settle stably in society.

Korea has short-term job programs such as the national employment system and public work projects available to everyone, but there is no employment system targeting isolated and reclusive youth. Hansho, who graduated in social welfare, said, "I worked at a company making phone accessories. However, when the contract ended, I couldn't build on my experience, and my job ended there," adding, "There needs to be a way to continue building experience and ultimately connect to employment."

Introduction to the social enterprise 'An Museoun Hoesa' supporting reclusive and isolated youth. (Photo by An Museoun Hoesa website)

Especially, isolated and reclusive youth agreed on the need for policies or institutions that help them adapt to jobs as much as the jobs themselves. The social enterprise 'Not a Scary Company,' which supports social adaptation of isolated and reclusive youth, is a representative example. It assigns tasks similar to those in general companies, such as office assistance, video editing, and marketing, to help youth adapt. Instead of pressuring or ordering them to work faster, it waits for them in a horizontal atmosphere. This helps them overcome fear of social life.

Shingil said, "I hope platforms similar to Not a Scary Company increase," and appealed, "The most necessary thing is a safety net before actual employment that reduces fear of mistakes made during adaptation."

There was also a call for a platform that consolidates information individually sent by the government or local governments. Since most isolated and reclusive youth do not go out much, they find all information online. However, websites like 'Bokjiro,' where job postings are uploaded, are not updated regularly, causing inconvenience. The reason a reclusive youth who was once a Hikikomori partnered with the Youth Foundation to create the self-managed website 'Somsatang' to share related information is here.

Professor Choi Young-jun of the Department of Public Administration at Yonsei University (left) and Professor Kim Hye-won of the Department of Youth Culture and Psychological Counseling at Hoseo University.

UK and Japan Should Stop Imitating and Develop Korea-Specific Policies

Experts advise that it is time to consider policies suited to Korea's circumstances. Instead of merely imitating policies from Japan or the UK, which first recognized and addressed youth isolation and reclusion issues, Korea must create customized policies fitting its culture and realities.

Japan coined the term Hikikomori in the 1970s and has actively addressed the social issue since the 1990s. Various policies and alternatives tried in Japan have been introduced domestically, but due to cultural and perceptual differences, the patterns and characteristics of youth isolation and reclusion differ, leading to repeated failures.

Experts cite the representative failure case of 'K2 International,' a reclusive youth support organization established in Japan in 1989 and opened a branch in Korea in 2012. This organization provided share houses where school-refusing students and reclusive youth lived together. However, unlike Japan, Korean reclusive youth tend to maintain single-person households, even covering rent through daily part-time jobs. This overlooked characteristic meant that the measure of expanding social activities through communal living to escape reclusion did not gain much support and eventually had to close after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Choi Young-jun of Yonsei University's Department of Public Administration pointed out, "Hikikomori has been a long-standing social problem in Japan, but policy research is not very active. The current problem of 50s Hikikomori proves that the issues were not resolved when they were in their 20s." He added, "The UK and Europe also implement policies on loneliness, which differs from us. The UK has a loneliness department and minister but focuses more on social campaigns than costly policies," emphasizing, "Our country focuses on isolation, so the direction is different."

He continued, "Our country has advanced nuclear families, and friend and peer groups have become very narrow. The possibility of loneliness leading to reclusion is very high here. A new community embracing individualism is needed. We must create a culture of communication and cooperation instead of competition. This is an issue important enough to stake the nation's fate on."

Ultimately, it is pointed out that even Japan and the UK, considered advanced countries in isolation and reclusion policies, remain mostly in the early stages of policy development. As loneliness and isolation have permeated everyone's daily life after the pandemic, the country that proposes the most effective policies is likely to become the model case.

Professor Kim Hye-won of Hoseo University, chairperson of the nonprofit organization Fine Down Youth, said, "In Korea, where familism and collectivism are strong, individual achievement becomes family achievement. When children enter good universities, it becomes a source of pride for parents, but entering isolation and reclusion becomes a shame for the family." She advised, "Korean isolation and reclusion have the characteristic that parents collapse and become guilty along with their children. Support for parents and simultaneously using parents as leverage to help youth go outside must be provided."