[Inside Chodong] "Young and Physically Able, So Why Are They Like That?"

"While elderly people in isolation are perceived as individuals who deserve sympathy and help, isolated and reclusive youth face much more criticism, with many asking, 'Why are they like that?'"

Jang Bo-im, Secretary General of Gonggamin, an organization supporting isolated and reclusive youth, points out that the general perception in Korean society tends to treat the issues of isolated and reclusive youth more lightly compared to problems faced by the elderly or children.

Recently, through our special feature "24 Hours of Youth Isolation," we examined the problems and solutions related to isolated and reclusive youth. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's "2023 Survey on Isolated and Reclusive Youth," there are 540,000 isolated and reclusive youth nationwide, accounting for about 5% of the total youth population.

The Korea Future Population Research Institute's "2024 Population Report," published on the 6th, estimates that Korea's total population will decrease from 51.71 million last year to approximately 39.69 million by 2065. As a result, the working-age population (ages 15-64) will decline from 36.57 million last year to about 27.17 million in 2044, a reduction of nearly 10 million over 20 years. According to Statistics Korea's future population projections, due to low birth rates, the youth population (ages 19-34) will drop from 10.44 million in 2024 to 4.5 million in 2072, less than half.

As the working-age and youth populations shrink, the national economy loses vitality. The burden of supporting the elderly increases, purchasing power decreases, the domestic market stagnates, and economic growth slows. Moreover, 5% of that youth population is struggling alone, fighting difficult battles rather than roaming the world and pursuing their dreams.

In our special feature interviews, Jung Soo-mi, head of the Gangnam-gu Single-Person Household Community Center, expressed concern, saying, "Physical isolation, unemployment, and unpaid leave causing economic isolation are major issues," adding, "There are more cases of people contemplating death." In fact, 75% of isolated and reclusive youth have thought about suicide, and 26% of them have attempted it.

There are cultural reasons as well as economic ones. Park Dae-ryeong, director of the Beautiful You Psychological Counseling Center, diagnosed, "From elementary school students to office workers, people seem to be doing fine on the surface, but there is a culture of not sharing their inner stories," adding, "The culture of sharing honest feelings and worries and providing support has greatly diminished."

In Japan, during the 1990s employment ice age, youth who gave up job hunting and depended on their parents, known as hikikomori (reclusive youth), have become a serious issue as they have reached their 50s and continue to live relying on their parents' pensions in their 80s, known as the "5080 problem."

Among our isolated and reclusive youth, 82% responded that they want to escape their isolated and reclusive situations, and among them, 70% have directly contacted support organizations expressing their desire to "get out of the current state." In Japan, 80-90% of support requests come from parents who can no longer handle their hikikomori children, so can we really feel relieved that our situation is better than Japan's?

On the 9th, President Yoon Suk-yeol stated at a press conference, "We plan to establish a Low Birthrate Response Planning Department to take on a very aggressive and strong control tower role." It is appropriate to start by addressing the problems of youth who will become future parents. It is desirable to concentrate the issues of isolated and reclusive youth, currently managed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and local governments, under the newly established Low Birthrate Response Planning Department to provide full-scale support and find solutions.

Furthermore, it is necessary to improve public perception to see isolated and reclusive youth not as troublemakers or potential criminals but as vulnerable individuals close to us who need warm attention, dialogue, and care. Deciding policy protection based on whether the isolation period exceeds six months or not is insufficient, as the loneliness of our youth runs far too deep.