10th Anniversary of the Staring Contest This Year
"Korean Society with Intense Academic Stress and Pressure to Succeed"
US CNN highlighted the 'Hangang Spacing Out Contest,' which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.
Former short track national team member Kwak Yoon-ki is participating in the '2024 Hangang Spacing Out Contest' held on the afternoon of the 12th at Jamsu Bridge in Banpo Hangang Park, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 16th (local time), CNN introduced the scene of the Hangang Spacing Out Contest held on the 12th at Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul in an article titled "Koreans compete to see who is best at 'doing nothing'." The spacing out contest is a competition to determine the participant who maintains the most spaced-out state without saying or doing anything for 90 minutes. Participants are disqualified if they check their mobile phones, sleep, chat, or consume food or drinks other than water.
CNN reported that more than 100 participants gathered silently on yoga mats to do nothing in this event, which is a physical challenge, a kind of art piece, or a break from Korea's hyper-competitive society.
Freelance announcer Kwon So-ah, who won this year's contest, said, "Korea is a fiercely competitive country where doing nothing is considered falling behind a little," adding, "Everyone should have their own pace, and sometimes we need to slow down."
Kwack Yoon-gi, a former short track national team athlete who placed third, said, "I participated in the Olympics five times and trained for 30 years without properly resting," and added, "When I heard that during this time here I could empty my mind and rest, I thought, 'This is what I need,' so I came."
CNN noted, "In Korean society, where academic stress and pressure to succeed are intense, the spacing out contest is one way for participants to recover from burnout and stress."
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