"Today Leather Craft, Tomorrow K-pop Dance"…The Reason Behind the 'One-Day Class' Craze [Youth Report]

'One-Day Classes' for Quick Sense of Achievement
Various Types Including Moru Dolls and Rattan Tray Making

'One-day classes,' which allow people to experience new hobbies in a single day, are gaining popularity among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z). Initially, the types of one-day classes were limited to cooking classes, but recently they have diversified to include K-pop dance, wire doll making, flower arranging, and more. One-day classes are especially popular among young people because they offer opportunities for self-development and a small sense of accomplishment within a relatively short period of time.

Rising Popularity of One-Day Classes Due to Economic and Time Constraints

Card wallet and e-book reader made in a leather workshop one-day class. [Image source: Provided by reader]

As people's desire to escape their busy daily lives grows, the need for hobby activities is emerging. According to the '2023 Social Survey Results' released by Statistics Korea in November last year, 42.9% of the population aged 19 and older responded that they want to spend their later years engaging in hobbies. However, taking up a full-fledged hobby involves considerable economic and time burdens.

One-day classes have emerged to meet the needs of such consumers. As the name suggests, a one-day class is a course that allows participants to efficiently learn a new hobby by investing a short amount of time in a single day. It has received particularly positive responses because participants not only attend the class but also get to experience the activity firsthand and create tangible results.

Goo Mo, a 30-year-old office worker who made a card wallet and an e-book reader pouch at a leather workshop, said, "It was my first time taking a one-day class, and it was a fresh and fun experience." He added, "I recommend it to those who have many distracting thoughts because you have to focus on sewing." He continued, "After making the finished product, I also felt a sense of accomplishment, which was satisfying." Goo said, "If I need something, I am willing to sign up for another leather workshop one-day class to make it." He also added, "It would be a fun and unique date course for couples to participate in a one-day class together and make items for each other."

The popularity of one-day classes can also be seen on social media platforms. Searching the hashtag #원데이클래스 (one-day class) on Instagram yields about 5.95 million posts. Additionally, searching '#원데이클래스수업' (#one-day-class-lessons) and '#원데이클래스추천' (#one-day-class-recommendations) returns approximately 27,000 and 23,000 posts respectively. Netizens have shared photos of their unique experiences participating in one-day classes such as pop art, rattan trays, and pet character design.

Foreign Tourists Also Take Notice of Korean One-Day Classes…Calligraphy, K-pop Dance, etc.

[Image source=Pixabay]

Korean one-day classes are also gaining popularity among foreign tourists. They show interest in Korean culture by taking classes in calligraphy, folk painting, K-pop dance, and more. Notably, in December last year, the dance company '1MILLION,' which has 26.3 million YouTube subscribers, launched a K-dance experience class targeting foreign tourists, which became a hot topic. The class involves learning K-pop choreography from professional instructors and completing a mission to record a dance challenge video within the studio space.

Meanwhile, demand for one-day classes is expected to grow further. This is because trends such as 'sohwakhaeng' (small but certain happiness) and 'work-life balance' have increased people's interest in hobbies.

A market research firm, Embrain Trend Monitor, conducted a survey on one-day classes with 1,000 adults aged 19 to 59 nationwide. The results showed a high level of anticipation for one-day classes, with 82.3% of respondents expressing willingness to take one-day class courses in the future.