"Some Earn 5 Million Won a Month"... Young People Making a Living Through 'Hunting' in Online Games

The Surge in Cashing Out from Online Games
Exiting the Job Market... A Form of Short-Term Gig Work

An, a 34-year-old who is currently unemployed, is considered a high-level user in "Maple Land," a recreation of the classic version of the online game MapleStory. Since last year, he has been earning virtual currency by helping lower-level users hunt, which he then converts into cash. His average monthly income is around 1.5 to 2 million won. An said, "I play games for about eight hours a day and make enough to cover my living expenses."

Image created with generative AI. Gemini

Shin, 30, who has given up on job hunting, makes a living by running several games such as "Road Nine" simultaneously on three computers. He has spent 10 million won on computers and gaming equipment. Shin said, "At my peak, I earned around 5 million won a month, but as competition intensified, my monthly income has dropped to about 2 million won, and there are many months when I make even less." Ha, 35, earns money by playing other users' game accounts on their behalf. He performs repetitive tasks such as hunting, and the compensation he receives is about the minimum wage per hour.

According to The Asia Business Daily's coverage on January 13, more young people are making a living by selling online game items. The neologism "Ssalmeok" (meaning "making money by selling game currency to buy rice") has even emerged. Online communities such as "Ssalmeok.com," where users share information about cashing out in games, have also appeared. This site assigns a "Ssalmeok score" to each game, rating the difficulty of converting in-game currency to cash and providing related information. From 2021 to the first half of last year, the volume of online game transactions reported to the National Tax Service was around 300 million won.

This trend of monetizing games is seen by some as a reflection of the reality that young people are struggling to find suitable jobs. The number of young people dropping out of the job market and ceasing economic activity continues to rise. As of August last year, the number of people classified as "resting"-those not working or seeking employment for no particular reason-was 2,641,000, an increase of 73,000 from the previous year. While the number of "resting" people in their 20s decreased by 3,000 from the previous year, it was still 435,000 (16.5%), the second highest after those in their 60s. For those in their 30s, the figure increased by 19,000 to 328,000 (12.4%).

Koo Jungwoo, a sociology professor at Sungkyunkwan University, emphasized, "This is a form of short-term part-time work, and if this pattern is repeated, it is difficult for individuals to build a career or prepare for the future." He added, "It is important for individuals to have a sense of purpose and plan their careers, and institutional support such as education and job training is needed so that they can explore other career paths."