[Insight & Opinion] Japan's Hikikomori and Korea's Isolated Youth

Japan's "5080" Phenomenon: Parents in Their 80s Caring for Children in Their 50s
If Youth Isolation Becomes Prolonged,
The Burden Will Surge Across All Age Groups

Alongside the issue of youth unemployment, social interest in isolated and reclusive youth, often referred to as "eundunhyeong oeltori" (isolated and reclusive individuals), has recently increased. The youth unemployment problem, which emerged after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, peaked at a 9.8% unemployment rate in 2017 and has since somewhat eased to 5.9% as of last year.

However, these statistics are vastly disconnected from the reality we experience around us. The economically inactive population excluded from unemployment rate calculations has actually increased from about 3.08 million in 2011 to a staggering 4.06 million this year, an increase of 1 million. The quality of employment has further deteriorated, with the number of young workers in simple temporary or daily jobs rising by 65% over the past decade. While major countries limit their surveys to those aged 15 to 24, Korea extends this to 29 years old, suggesting that employment opportunities and quality for those in their late twenties are also poor.

Therefore, the increase in youth who are not only unemployed but also socially disconnected and living reclusive lives is a challenge that society as a whole must address, not just the parents of these young people. Modern society demands too much in terms of education, employment, housing, and wealth. It may be natural that not everyone can adapt to a society that sets already high standards as a product of excessive competition.

Although somewhat delayed, the government has established a legal basis through the "Youth Basic Act" enacted in February 2020 and has been conducting surveys and exploring youth support measures every two years starting in 2022. The current survey targets approximately 15,000 youth nationwide aged 19 to 34. According to this survey, isolated and reclusive youth account for 4.5% of all youth in Seoul, proportional to the population size by region, and nationwide, the number of such youth is estimated to be as high as 540,000.

The emergence of the reclusive youth problem in Korea after the Asian financial crisis in 2000, due to the deterioration of youth economic power, is no coincidence when compared to Japan’s so-called "hikikomori" phenomenon that arose after the collapse of the bubble economy in the 1980s. In Japan, the hikikomori population from the 1980s has aged, and recent statistics show that the middle-aged group aged 40 to 64 far outnumbers the youth under 39, making up more than half of the total 1.46 million. This aging population has resulted in a serious social issue where parents in their 80s care for children in their 50s, known as the "5080" problem. Japan’s aging isolated and reclusive youth phenomenon suggests that if the Korean government does not urgently and actively address this issue, the youth problem will become prolonged and pose a greater burden in the future. It also indicates that isolation is a problem that extends into middle and old age.

The 2022 survey offers significant implications for policy formulation. First, 23.8% of respondents began living reclusively during their teenage years, indicating the need for the government to expand its focus to include students under 15 years old. Additionally, 75.4% of isolated and reclusive youth have a university degree, and 5.6% have graduate-level education, showing that this issue is more connected to employment problems than education. There is a need to reconsider policies that currently emphasize education and living expense support. Furthermore, the fact that 90% of these youth are unmarried suggests that social isolation is another core factor contributing to the low birthrate problem.

According to research by the "Youth Foundation," the social cost of the isolated and reclusive youth problem is estimated to reach 7 trillion won annually in the future. Considering the economic burden on the parent generation due to the aging of these youth, it is expected that these costs will explosively increase across all age groups. It is urgent for not only the government but also society and academia to conduct in-depth research on the current situation and prepare countermeasures.

Kim Gyu-il, Professor at Michigan State University, USA