South Korea is on the brink of collapse. What went wrong?

[Space Cowboy]

SK has a fertility rate of 0.7 , the lowest in the world. A country needs a fertility rate of 2.1 to ensure replacement. In 50 years, they could lose 70% of their population.

They cannot import immigrants because they're xenophobic and racist. They're also homophobic.

 

Women and Men in SK hate each other. Men are becoming incels, more conservative and hostile toward feminism, while women are growing more liberal and more of them refuse to date men.

 

SK has the highest suicide rates in the world, due to societal pressure and mental health stigma. SK societal pressure to meet high beauty standards has fueled a booming plastic surgery industry and unhealthy body image obsession causing a lot mental health problems.

 

Their work culture is terrible. They have long hours, extreme workplace stress, and overwork culture. 

 

Spoiler

This is more of a personal story: When I was doing Erasmus, I had a Korean roommate who often shared with me how difficult her childhood had been. Her parents pressured her to focus solely on studying so she could get into a prestigious university.

 

She told me she had never been to a party in her entire life. After returning to South Korea, she told me that she was feeling sad and suicidal.

 

What went wrong? Will SK collapse eventually and/or become a failed state?

Edited yesterday at 04:55 PM by Space Cowboy

[GentleEarthquake]

13 minutes ago, Space Cowboy said:

Men

[Illuminati]

I think a shift in culture is possible, especially if it's becoming so unsustainable. They'll eventually have to open up to immigration and that will bring cultural changes as well

[Mornings]

My best friend is from Seoul and the work culture there just seems impossible. Her sister works for GQ sk and she works from morning until midnight most days. There's a lot of pressure to get married young. It's very complicated. The culture is changing so fast the parents are very old school and the new generation is really global which was the goal right? 
 

There is so much pride on how their country is growing after independence from Japan, but it's a lot of pressure and a lot of stress for the younger generations.

 

i think they will be fine though. It's a beautiful country with beautiful rich history and a lot of triumph. I can't wait to go back

[constantinople]

CAPITALISM went wrong. It's Uncle Sam's fault. How come 6 companies rule 90% of the economy there? Insane

[Cruel Summer]

I would be very interested in learning more about how US influence during and following the Korean War might have shaped the current situation in South Korea. I'm sure there's a strong link there.

[Trent W]

It's the radicalization of right wing incels and feminism 

 

The western world is on that same path

 

Men and women are starting to hate each other and fertility is tanking in every country 

 

I honestly think this is going to make society collapse WW

[Minto]

progressiveness isn't the enemy korea!

 

[Cloudy]

Capitalism + its strict age culture

[AmericanIdol]

Aren't K-Pop groups from there?

 

I think that has something to do with SK decay, idk, maybe I'm wrong.

[Rep2000]

Just now, AmericanIdol said:

Aren't K-Pop groups from there?

 

I think that has something to do with SK decay, idk, maybe I'm wrong.

[BrokenMachine]

That's the wonders that an ultra-capitalist and shallow society will do to you 

[Luckitty]

I think a lot of asian countries suffer similar problems, societies that are too judgmental and parents who are too controlling and/or expect too much 

 

but on top of that korea has a really toxic work culture & a weird incel movement that has been gaining popularity for the last 15 years or more 

[aotearoa]

Same in Japan. They will have to accept immigrants 

[znake]

poor Koreans 

[toy soldier.]

Some of my SK friends that were to study abroad said they felt so never felt so free (we were doing MDMA tho...)

[Gorjesspazze9]

Capitalism as usual. But also I do agree that the Incel thing is becoming a major problem worldwide. People think it's just Andrew Tate suburban teen glazers, but nah there is a literal movement happening. A lot of men online with reddit threads full of overt misogyny and racism. It's kinda crazy that grown men are behaving this way too. I've seen it first hand

[Arrows]

They're the capitalist dystopia counter-part to North Korea's socialist dystopia.

[Rep2000]

41 minutes ago, Illuminati said:

I think a shift in culture is possible, especially if it's becoming so unsustainable. They'll eventually have to open up to immigration and that will bring cultural changes as well

Knowing Asian countries, Korea would rather scale back their economy or invent mass robotization to replace workforce than opening up their country. And if there's ever a culture changes, it needs to come from within, as Asian countries have built-in resistances to each other's culture.

[l3disko]

Honestly? Feminism.

 

Population decline due to women spending their fertile years preparing to become corporate slaves and being told its empowering.

 

vs before, relationships and building families was more of a priority in women in their early 20s.

[Dula Peep]

I want to tell all my Korean coworkers to stop working so hard because it makes all of us look bad 

[getinthezone]

Capitalism

[Rep2000]

2 minutes ago, l3disko said:

Honestly? Feminism.

 

Population decline due to women spending their fertile years preparing to become corporate slaves and being told its empowering.

 

vs before, relationships and building families was more of a priority in women in their early 20s.

Love how this is now Women's fault tm for not being their husbands' slaves instead. /s

[Redstreak]

8 minutes ago, l3disko said:

Honestly? Feminism.

 

Population decline due to women spending their fertile years preparing to become corporate slaves and being told its empowering.

 

vs before, relationships and building families was more of a priority in women in their early 20s.

Yeah man it was a priority because women didn't have access to money otherwise

[Rep2000]

Love how women are being blamed for the incel crisis in SK, instead of you know, the ******* INCELS THEMSELVES.