The podcast explores the pervasive unhappiness among young Koreans, driven by economic hardship, societal pressures, and a desperate pursuit of quick wealth through speculative investments, contrasting this with the importance of gratitude and appreciating life's simple joys.
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Hello, nice to meet you. You're listening to Haein's natural Korean podcast.
Do you know the meaning of the word "unhappy"?
It means unhappy.
Not happy. It's the exact opposite of happiness.
Koreans
don't use the word "unhappy" very often.
As the saying goes, "Words become seeds," many people are more fearful than they think,
fearing that their words will become reality .
However, I personally believe that Koreans have a unique sense of melancholy.
It feels deeply ingrained in their hearts. They say
finding a job is difficult these days, but while there aren't many decent jobs,
there are plenty of physically demanding jobs out there.
Despite this, they constantly compare themselves to others,
thinking they're the most depressed people in the world .
So, today, I'm going to talk about why young Koreans are unhappy.
If you're curious about today's podcast, stay tuned until the end!
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Actually, there are many young people around me who are satisfied with their lives.
They value their happiness and value over money , and many of them are very upright young people
who value their family above all else
. However, since 2015, youth unemployment has been on the rise, and
issues like gender inequality, debt, and other issues continue to plague young people.
This is the current situation for young people.
Because tuition is so expensive, they begin their college years with student loans.
They've accumulated debt from a young age
. Due to the severe employment crisis, they either can't find a job or have to make ends meet through part-time work.
They never manage to save money,
and their dreams of starting a family are often abandoned.
Then, they find a silver lining: borrowing money to invest in coins or stocks.
growing number of young people are going bankrupt trying to make a quick buck.
Have you ever seen the Korean film "84 Square Meters" on Netflix?
After watching it, I
thought, "Wow! This film perfectly portrays the dark side of Korean youth today!"
I, too, have a bit of a resemblance to the main character in the film.
First, I'd like to briefly explain the main character's situation and circumstances.
That's the only way to make today's topic more persuasive.
At first, the male protagonist, a very young man,
engages in something called "young-geul."
Young-geul is a neologism meaning "to gather even one's soul." Because
he has no money, he resorts to borrowing money through loans and overdraft accounts, borrowing money.
People who invest in coins ,
people who borrow money to buy apartments despite having no money, and who simply wait for the price to rise,
are speculators
. We call these people "young-geul-jok."
Of course, Koreans wouldn't like these types of people!
Many people criticize them for aiming for a quick win, hoping to turn their lives around, and for making a lot of money without working hard
.
He recklessly purchases an expensive apartment in Gangnam, hoping for a rise in housing prices. However,
the reality is that apartment prices continue to fall, and
the 80 million won he invested in coins through a borrowed money disappears right before his eyes
.
Imagine this: I invested 100 million won in coins,
and that was with a loan. It wasn't my money,
but if 100 million won vanished from my sight in an instant,
I'd instantly become a debt collector.
Even though I work and earn a salary, I spend it all on paying off debt.
Work becomes increasingly difficult, and concentration is incredibly difficult. Unsure of the future, I'm plagued by nightmares every day.
At night, I even turn on the air conditioner, and I'm too afraid to waste electricity, so
I spend this sweltering 35-degree summer with only a fan.
No one around me is helpful.
I have a really bad friend who
insists I withdraw my apartment deposit and invest it in coins. My boss, who constantly teases me about missing out on promotions, is also incredibly annoying.
Every night, the noise from my apartment's chimney is so loud that I clash with my neighbors and
even have to constantly visit the police station!
Ah! Just yesterday, I
felt so secure just having my own home, even though it was a loan-paid apartment .
But now, my house is on the verge of collapse, the number of accidents keeps increasing, and
I'm on the verge of losing my job.
This protagonist essentially took a chance on a lifetime opportunity, but that chance ended up being a complete failure.
After hearing about this protagonist's life, what do you think?
Would you also like to try something called "young-geul" (a term for "young-geul")?
I didn't go as far as "young-geul," but I had a similar experience.
(My mother would probably freak out if she heard this story.)
I invested about 1 million won in a coin.
Did Hae-in really make more money by investing in Bitcoin?
I lost it all.
A friend told me Bitcoin was definitely going to rise, so
I unknowingly invested a huge amount of money
. But it happened to be the peak of Bitcoin's decline in 2019, so I was incredibly unlucky
. Naturally, my 1 million won disappeared like magic.
I haven't invested since. I've made some small investments, but
I haven't touched anything risky like coins or stocks.
Back to the story,
just like in the movie "84 Square Meters," there's a growing number of young people in Korea who are living lives similar to the protagonist's.
"Tracking 60 Minutes" is a fairly popular documentary program in Korea.
It mostly focuses on Korean youth, the wealth gap, and the difficulties faced by senior citizens living alone.
One video in particular caught my eye.
It's titled "Betting Your Life." It tells the story of a young man.
The first scene shows his mother trying to sell the apartment she had purchased with great difficulty.
The son, however, takes a risk and takes out a loan using his mother's house as collateral.
The son invests all
of that money in coins, losing a staggering 240 million won within three months.
The young man repeatedly attempted suicide, leaving his son's room filled with trash.
The second story is even more dire.
Despite nearly 300 million won in debt from his cryptocurrency investments,
he constantly checks the exchange on his smartphone. He
still harbors a lingering attachment.
In the video, the young man says this in an interview.
I'll read it to you:
I have no intention of making money solely through earned income. Once you enter the investment world, you either become a beggar
or you succeed.
The working people look pathetic.
I can't understand how they work so hard to earn that little money.
When I hear this line...
Oh, society and young people are really sick these days!
I'm already obsessed with the one thing in life, "young-geul."
We're inflicting significant damage on ourselves in our daily lives.
On the one hand, this phenomenon is somewhat understandable.
Jobs are tough, so where can I find myself? What can I do to earn money?
Others drive fancy cars, go on expensive trips, and live in luxury,
but why am I in this state? We
endlessly compare ourselves to others and lament our own circumstances.
Do you feel unhappy?
If you look around you, there are many more unhappy people than you might think.
Some are terminally ill, and
others are unknowingly experiencing misfortune.
I know a young person whose parents are both sick, and who has to take care of them every day. There
was even a young man who lost all his savings in a jeonse scam and had to start from scratch.
I sometimes see these same behaviors in myself.
The desire to earn more money, to be more successful than my friends—
it's good to have a mindset that embraces these desires.
But right now, I have a cool drink on my table, I can eat the food I want right away, and
while I may not be able to afford expensive trips, I have healthy legs that can take me to wonderful places whenever I want
. If I lack gratitude for myself, I'll be depressed, and if I lament my circumstances every day,
every day will be miserable.
Life isn't as long as you think. Time doesn't wait for you.
I have a healthy family by my side, and a cute pet dog welcomes me.
I can see my friends whenever I want.
If I feel suffocated, I can go for a walk and listen to the beautiful birdsong.
What kind of life do you want to live?
Everyone wants to live every day enjoying themselves like the influencers on social media, wearing flashy clothes, driving expensive cars,
and enjoying themselves.
Whether I take a gamble and make a fortune overnight
depends on my luck. Those of you
who are "young-geul" (spiritually driven) and invest your soul in your life,
would you like to take on this "young-geul" challenge?
Yes! That's all for today's podcast.
Today's podcast was a bit too depressing.
Next time, I'll be back with something more positive.
It was Lee Sang Haein :)
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[Music] D
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