This is a set of photos of photographer Nina Ahn to point out the loneliness of Korean youth, also known as Honjok with "Hon" is alone and "JOK" is a group of people.This term refers to an independent but lonely young generation, reflecting the increase of the group of people who like it alone and have many different views of love, marriage and family compared to previous generations..
"It's like a giving up" - Nini Ahn said in an interview by phone from Seoul with CNN.
"We live in a generation that strives to work hard because the bright future cannot guarantee us happiness, so why not spend time investing for ourselves?A boring feeling is because it is capturing the face of the current generation. "
On the side of photographer Hasisi Park, spending time studying Korean youths preferred independent lifestyle and showed it in their photos.She often likens her subjects to helpless creatures between a wild or large society.
According to Park, the increase in "Honjok" is due to the heavy social pressure on the younger generation, they do not have many opportunities to communicate with others as well as lack of time for themselves.
"The society we live is not stable at all and I think young people do not want to compromise any more" - Park said.
The set of photos taken by photographer Hasisi Park also described the loneliness of the younger generation in Korea.
According to statistics in 2016, Korea had about 5 million households and this number increased to 8.33 million as of July 2019, according to statistics of the Ministry of Home Affairs and safety.According to Michael Breen, the author of the book "The New Koreans: The Story of a Nation", this increase is completely contrary to the historical tradition of Korean society.
"I think this is the natural result of democracy and the development of the economy.Social in other Asian countries, interests and personal interests still depend on family or group organizations.But the longer you live in the democracy, your value is more personal than the collective.
When I came to Korea for the first time in the 1970s, all the Koreans I knew had 5-6 siblings and all of them were from large families.It is not difficult for you to see relatives living in the same village "- Breen said.
But with the development of the middle class with the efforts of the Government to promote family planning, the birth rate has decreased significantly, from 6.1 births on 1 woman in 1960 dropped.It was only 1.2 in 2015, according to the World Bank's data.Specifically, the woman is away from traditional concepts and aware of the burden of raising children.According to Breen, plus the pressure from the husband's family, the more easy to leave the intention to get married.
The development of individualism can bring satisfaction, according to Jang Jae Young, managing a website with content revolving around the lifestyle for single people named Honjok.me.
"Our generation of parents is too busy with the job of making a living. They are forced to sacrifice themselves to support their families and contribute to the economy. However, now, people are increasingly yearningAwakening themselves and happier, so they absolutely can accept work alone as long as fun "- Jang said.
Despite making a set of photos, Ahn believes that the pagodas with her will be willing to experience to make their lives richer, such as traveling.
"In the previous generation, people know that after a hard time working and saving some money, they will be able to buy a house for our family. However, we gradually realize that we are weWill never be able to own anything even if I work for a lifetime.. The priority in our lives has changed "- Ahn said.
According to Park, the generation of Honjak has caused many impacts on the economy.From the 1 -person apartments to the restaurant for people who come to eat without anyone going with, Korean society is growing more and more towards young people.This group of people is enough to create a culture with consumer power, "Park said.
It is known that Korean Furniture Company, Hansem, has conducted production and sold the folding tables, served as a dining table and drawers for 1 -person households.Jang's website also sells a mini tripod for smartphones with the line described: "Perfect for people to travel alone can selfie".
However, according to Jang, the development of individualism is also a double -edged sword.
"I hope it can develop into a culture that brings happiness to myself but Korea is currently having a very low birth rate and will gradually become an old society.I did not see Honjak as a positive culture" - Jang expressed his opinion.
(Source: CNN)