[Insight & Opinion] The Meaning of Family as Presented in "Aging Family"

A Competitive Society That Does Not Tolerate Failure
Breaking Free from the Winner-Loser Dichotomy
Recognizing Each Other as Fellow Members of Society

In South Korean society, where competition has become the foremost value behind rapid economic growth, the film Goryeonghwa Gajok (Aging Family), based on the novel of the same name by author Cheon Myeong-kwan and directed by Song Hae-seong in 2013, delivers an important message for us today. This film depicts the process of family members, often considered failures in life, living together under one roof and accepting each other as they are. Showing parents, children, and siblings not as sources of pride but as beings who live together, the film reminds us of the essence of community that our society tends to overlook.

Currently, South Korean society is characterized by intense competition where people constantly evaluate each other, distinguishing individuals by success or failure. This unhealthy competition fosters distrust and conflict among individuals and weakens social solidarity. Instead of seeking connections, big or small, with those around them, people first look for reasons to exclude others.

In this social climate, children are forced into extreme competition known as the ‘7-year-old exam,’ and when they become young adults, they face relentless credential competition amid high unemployment and job scarcity. The youth unemployment rate (ages 15?29) in 2024 is recorded at 5.9%. This is 2.8 times higher than the overall unemployment rate and exceeds the OECD average by 2.08 times. Considering that the statistics do not include young people who have completely given up on finding employment, the reality is even bleaker. Ultimately, youth unemployment not only causes individual economic hardship but also diminishes the vitality of society as a whole.

In a reality where even protecting oneself is difficult, young people find it hard to consider marriage or having children. The romantic memories of college campus lovers walking hand in hand, once a youthful ideal, are now increasingly rare. South Korea’s low birthrate issue is no longer something that can be solved by government incentives handed out as favors.

The indifferent passage of time brings economic poverty and social isolation to the elderly, despite their role as the main contributors to past economic growth. South Korea’s rapid aging population has led to a sharp increase in the elderly population, but social safety nets for them remain insufficient. Many elderly people face old age without adequate pensions or savings, and their families no longer serve as their refuge.

In such an environment, individuals fear failure and easily label those who fail as dropouts. As a result, even families fail to accept each other as they are, extending the fear of being judged and expected according to social standards. It seems there is no true place to rest.

However, it is the nature of life that not everyone can be a winner. We all deserve to be loved simply for existing and have the right to pursue happiness. What we truly need is an attitude of accepting others as they are. Just as the family in the film, though rough around the edges, genuinely loves and embraces each other, our society must recognize human dignity beyond the binary of success and failure. When not only families but society as a whole perceive each other not as competitors but as beings living together, youth unemployment can be seen not merely as an individual responsibility but as a structural issue, and elderly poverty will become a challenge society must solve collectively.

Ultimately, a true community is a place where each member is unconditionally accepted and respected. When we focus less on blaming others’ failures and more on how to live together, our society can move in a better direction. The unconditional love shown in the film Goryeonghwa Gajok may well be the value our society most needs now for the restoration of each individual’s life through such love.

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