소확행: Small but certain happiness

Author: Nathalia Millán Rincón

The values of young people in South Korea have changed compared to those of their parents’ generation. The current generation focuses its efforts on being happier and living a fulfilling life, not so much on making a lot of money. This blog will explain what has driven young people to adopt this new mentality, what Sohwakhaeng (소확행) consists of, and we will close with a recommendation of a Korean film that illustrates the current sentiment that many may be identifying with.

It is well known that, the more demanding a society is, the more pressure young people feel for their future. South Korea is one of the busiest countries in the world, and Seoul particularly suffers from insomnia: many places are open 24 hours, seven days a week (Dang, 2018). Something notorious about the country is the ppalli ppalli (빨리 빨리) culture, which translates as “hurry”, it is considered part of Korea’s brand, and many refer to this characteristic as the secret to meeting goals in the blink of an eye (Kjølstad, 2020). Ppalli ppalli (빨리 빨리) is a lifestyle that originated from South Korea’s desire to recover and reach a level of modernization after the events of World War II and the Korean War, which left them as the 2nd poorest country in the world. 

To achieve such outstanding growth, South Korea had to completely restructure itself. This change involved not only an investment plan, but also a new mindset. Therefore, since the country had been left without capital and devoid of natural resources, the feeling of ‘we have nothing else to lose’ strengthened. So, although the economy was heavily oriented towards exports, the government began by focusing its efforts on investing in education to have a skilled and hard-working workforce (OECD, 2021). This could explain why education, to this day, is considered of paramount importance for Korean society.  Moreover, although the Miracle on the Han River (as the country’s period of rapid economic growth is called) happened, Koreans have failed to get rid of this lifestyle that cares so much about doing everything better and faster.

With such a well-educated population, the country’s competitiveness increased, improving living conditions. However, with a higher education rate of 69% for people aged 25-34 (OECD, 2022), it is difficult to excel among so many candidates, and overqualification is a problem. In addition, more and more people are seeking independence and moving to the capital, but given the high living costs combined with the low number of marriages that has been declining for 11 years (Eun-byel, 2023), it is simply unlikely that Koreans can afford a home. For this reason, SKY (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University) are considered the only options, and the stress of getting a high score in the Suneung (수능), the College Scholastic Ability Test, begins at a very young age.

Despite the above, the future is uncertain, and a college degree does not guarantee employment. Finding a job is considerably difficult for recent graduates, especially when more and more companies decide not to hold an open recruitment process, arguing that people will be hired when necessary. An overwhelming 73.9% of 330 companies surveyed explained that they prefer experienced people, as they need them to start working immediately. As a result, many part-timers in convenience stores are university graduates, but “Due to the rigidity in Korea’s labor market, it’s not easy for young people who start with unsatisfactory jobs to move to quality jobs later”, said economics professor Kang Sung-jin, who teaches at Korea University (2021). Given this, young Koreans have started to experience bleak feelings about their future, and the generation is now known as 3포/3-Po (the term comes from 포기하다, which means “to give up”), who sacrifice: 1) Relationships with others; 2) Marriage; 3) Starting a family, as the only solution to face economic and social pressure (Rae, 2021).