After graduating from university, he spent 10 years in a corner of his room... There is a reason why he is criticized for being unemployed = Korean report

"I've been at home for a long time, so I'm not good at interacting with people, and I feel like people think I'm a misanthrope," said Ms. Lee (28), who lives in North Gyeongsang Province, about her reasons for not getting a job.
Lee confessed that he has never submitted a resume to a company since graduating from a four-year university in a rural area in 2020. He also recently started working part-time at a convenience store on weekends, where he can work alone.
Lee quit. Her day is filled with helping with housework, playing games, reading, and watching YouTube. "I only go out to the supermarket to buy groceries," she said. "I felt left out as a student.
"Because of this, I have avoided job hunting, which requires me to meet people," he said. Although statistics show that the number of unemployed young people has increased, many of the unemployed young people I met during my interview said, "I just want to take a break.
They said they missed out on job hunting opportunities due to mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, or were unable to look for work after leaving their jobs due to bullying in the workplace.
Experts say that rather than blaming unemployed young people, alternatives that take into account each individual's situation are needed.
According to survey data from people aged 10 to 29, the number of young people who had graduated from school but had not been employed for more than three years reached 238,000 as of May, the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kim (26), who lives in Taebaek, Gangwon-do, is a typical example of an unemployed young person. Kim had repeatedly taken time off and returned to school due to mental illness he experienced during his university days.
It took him 20 years to graduate from college. Since then, he has not been looking for work for nine months. Kim said, "When I was a student, I had to take time off work due to illness, and I had to move to different hospitals looking for a suitable place, so I was unable to find a job.
"Time just flew by," he said, "and when I recovered, I was in my mid-20s." Online chat rooms for the long-term unemployed have also appeared, where people who have not been looking for work for a long time gather.
The main search keywords used by chat room users were "long-term unemployed," "anxiety," "depression," and "reclusion." One chat room administrator, Mr. A (35), was also looking for work.
Mr. A, who worked as a regular employee at a bank for 11 years and left the company at the beginning of this year, said, "Because of bullying in the workplace, I developed psychiatric problems such as social aversion and panic disorder."
"Until I'm fully recovered, I won't be able to go out anywhere but the hospital, and it will be difficult for me to look for work," he said. It has been pointed out that the main reasons why young people give up on looking for work are mental and environmental difficulties.
According to data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to the office of People Power Rep. Joo Kyung-ho, the average annual cost of psychotropic drugs used to treat anxiety and depression for people aged 20 to 29 is
The average prescription for men is expected to increase 2.6-fold from 44.9 tablets in 2014 to 117.5 tablets in 2023. The prescription for men aged 30 to 39 is also expected to increase from 59.6 tablets 10 years ago to 122.5 tablets last year.
Experts are analyzing that the COVID-19 era, in which social distancing is practiced, has exacerbated the psychological and social isolation of young people.
Professor Baek Myung-jae of the Kyung Hee University Department of Mental Health Medicine said, "One of the worst things for depression is isolation." He added, "The COVID-19 virus has made interpersonal relationships and social anxiety even worse."
Professor Seong Kyu (INFINITE) of the Department of Sociology at Sungkyunkwan University said, "The unemployed youth are
"Rather than stigmatizing them, a survey of the actual situation of young people who have been absent for a long period of time and have not engaged in economic activity should be carried out first," he said, adding, "They are also members of the local community, and local governments should take responsibility for their actions."
One way is to get closer to them, take an interest in them and develop educational programs, etc."