Under the new bill proposed by lawmaker Kim Mi-kyung, Seoul will build a support center where research will be conducted and musical and art therapies provided, in order to help bring isolated young adults back into society’s fold, and encourage them to play a more active role. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced plans to help young adults who live extremely anti-social lives without working or even meeting friends.
Under the new bill proposed by lawmaker Kim Mi-kyung, Seoul will build a support center where research will be conducted and musical and art therapies provided, in order to help bring isolated young adults back into society’s fold, and encourage them to play a more active role.
The Seoul Metropolitan Council said on Sunday that the mayor of Seoul will renew the support plans every five years when the proposal, which is awaiting approval from the Health and Welfare Committee, passes.
“Give South Korea’s sluggish economy and employment instability, as well as the growing number of single-person households, we need to look at the issue of reclusive adolescents from a social perspective, not a personal one,” said Kim, who pushed for the bill.
“There is a need to craft comprehensive support programs to bring young adults back to society,” Kim added.
The bill defines a ‘reclusive adolescent’ as someone who lives at home or in a confined place and only interacts with an extremely small social circle such as family, while refusing to engage in communication with others, who as a result has poor social skills.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is expected to spend up to 1.55 billion won over the next five years to tackle the issue of isolated young adults, including localized support projects, conducting aptitude tests, and providing job training programs.
In Japan, where similar social issues facing South Korea such as an aging population have already been observed , the issue of reclusive adolescents, also known as ‘hikikomori’, is a pressing social problem, sounding warning bells for South Korea.
“The issue of reclusive adolescents is often seen as a psychological one on a personal level. We need to change our approach and understand it as a social problem. With its rise comes the issue of domestic violence against parents. It’s urgent that we come up with appropriate measures,” Kim said.
According to data provided by Statistics Korea, the number of young people not in education, employment nor training, also known as NEET, surpassed 1 million as of 2011.
Hyunsu Yim (hyunsu@koreabizwire.com)
