Growth of the ‘me-time’ generation
According to a survey, over half of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s prefer to spend time alone.
MORE than half of South Korean men and women in their 20s and 30s prefer to spend time alone, a recent survey by an online job search portal revealed.
The survey, which targeted 1,593 male and female users of the portal Saramin between the ages of 20 and 30, showed that 53% replied “yes” to the question asking whether they preferred spending time alone.
Most of those who favoured being alone said they chose to do so because they could “do things in their way”. The second most popular reason was “guaranteed individual time”, followed by “to reduce financial burden”, “difficult to fit in with others” and “do not wish to be compared against”.
The activities most often done alone are dining, as chosen by 95% of the respondents, followed by shopping (84%), working out (84%), watching movies (75%), travelling (60%), drinking (48%), driving (43%) and going to karaoke (31%).
Newly coined words such as honbap (eating alone), honsul (drinking alone) and honyeong (going to the movies alone) are becoming more common, according to Saramin.
“Hon” is the first syllable of the word honja, which means to do something alone in Korean.
It has even become so cool to spend time alone that an online search for “hon” activities would toss up thousands of recommendations, and people seem genuinely happy to share their finds, complete with photos and raving reviews.
This is a great change for a society with a very strong herd instinct, which translates to a pressing need to belong to a group.
South Koreans have traditionally gone to great lengths to keep up appearances and maintain an intricate web of relationships and yonjul (social networking). Going solo used to be akin to social suicide, as those who do it could end up being perceived as a wangda (outcast) and losing their chaemyon (face or reputation).
But now, enjoying me-time is growing more acceptable, as some 86% of the survey respondents said, calling the spread of the individualistic culture a “positive” phenomenon.
Ninety-one percent of the total female participants replied favourably to the trend, while only 83% of their male counterparts thought the same.
In the multiple responses to the question why they thought the trend was good, 67% said “no disturbance from others”, followed by “autonomous activities” (55%), “less emotional effort” (53%), “individual characteristics are respected” (45%) and “overall efficiency” (43%).
Experts attribute the honja trend to an increase in the number of single households caused by rising life expectancy, a low birth rate and delayed marriage due to job insecurity and high property prices.
There are now 5.32 million single households in the country. They account for 27.2% of the total number of households, according to the 2015 population census figures. This is almost double the 2000 figure of 15%.
In fact, one-person households are reportedly the biggest type, followed by two-member families (26.1%) and four-member families (18.8%).
This is affirmed by the survey as some 20% picked the stagnating economy, 12% selected the increase in the number of unmarried people, 9% said the increase in the youth unemployment and 5% said the changes in the definition of a family to be the cause of the rise of honja. A majority – 44% of the respondents – however, attributed the spread of the solo culture to a shift towards more individualism in today’s selfie era – one key factor, they say, is that the younger generation in Korea is less willing to conform.