In this blog post, I’d like to reflect on perceptions of careers and social values in South Korea, and explore why it’s so difficult for us to find our dreams and live happy lives.
Social Perceptions That Vary by Occupation
It would be rare to find a college student who has never wrestled with these questions. These concerns are precisely things like, “What kind of job should I pursue?” or “What will I do with my life?” There are countless words that stem from or are associated with these concerns. There are contrasting terms like “dream” and “reality,” qualities we strive to discover such as “talent” and “aptitude,” and heart-wrenching words like “giving up” and “obstacles.” We also cannot overlook the term “South Korea,” the country in which we live. I’d like to have an open conversation about dreams and reality—topics that every young person in South Korea has likely pondered at least once.
Before discussing other terms, we first need to consider the social context of South Korea, the country in which we live. Historically, South Korea has been heavily influenced by China, particularly by Confucianism. Examples include the cultural value of “filial piety” and the traditional occupational hierarchy known as “scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.” Of course, today’s South Korean society cannot be explained solely by the Confucian order of the past, but it is worth noting that differences in social perception based on occupation still exist. There is a difference in how society views white-collar office workers and blue-collar workers on the front lines, and the reality is that it is difficult to say these two occupational groups receive completely equal treatment in terms of social perception or economic compensation. Given these differences in perception and treatment based on occupation, it is not easy to simply pursue the work one wants to do or one’s dreams.
Furthermore, virtues such as “filial piety” and “courtesy” are deeply rooted values in South Korean society. While filial piety and courtesy can have a positive impact on maintaining the community and respecting others, I believe they can also have negative effects depending on the situation. When one holds different views from adults, it is not easy to create an atmosphere where discussions can take place on an equal footing; sometimes, during conversations, one may even hear evaluations unrelated to the core issue—such as being called “disrespectful.” Even when a student’s opinion—which they believe to be correct—clashes with that of adults, it is not uncommon for the student’s views to be dismissed simply because of their young age. I believe that creating an environment where students can freely share their thoughts with adults is still not an easy task in South Korea. This phenomenon tends to surface even more easily when conflicts or arguments arise. Asking questions like “How old are you?” during an argument can also be seen as an extension of a mindset that prioritizes age and hierarchy over the essence of the problem. From a student’s perspective, it is not easy to have one’s dreams recognized as an independent value and to assert them with confidence.
Why We End Up Choosing Reality Over Dreams
Finally, in modern South Korean society, it is not easy to gain recognition for intangible values. Among the points I encountered in Professor Heo Tae-gyun’s lecture titled “Finding Happiness in South Korea,” there was one statement that resonated deeply with me: a “dream” is an intangible value. For the value of a dream to be socially recognized, one often must produce tangible results—such as achieving success, earning a lot of money, or gaining prestige. However, just because everyone pursues their dreams does not mean everyone can succeed. Even if one has put in a great deal of effort and gained diverse experiences while pursuing a “dream,” South Korean society often views that time simply as a period of failure or as time spent without results. The process of pursuing a dream can be a deeply valuable experience in itself for an individual, and it can serve as a foundation for personal growth and the formation of one’s identity. However, society often fails to fully acknowledge such value.
In particular, if one’s dream ends in failure, the perception that this time was “wasted” can become even stronger. In a society that does not sufficiently acknowledge the importance of personal happiness, it is not easy to steadfastly move forward in pursuit of one’s own happiness.
Considering the characteristics of South Korean society mentioned above, I would like to examine, one by one, why it is difficult to find one’s dreams in South Korea and why it is hard to be happy. In South Korea, perceptions regarding occupations are deeply ingrained throughout society. Preconceptions about professions are widespread, and there are significant disparities in economic compensation depending on one’s occupation. While it is difficult to attribute this phenomenon solely to the lingering Confucian hierarchy of “scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants,” there is a widespread perception in South Korean society that each occupation belongs to a certain “tier.” The most ideal situation would be one where the social perceptions and economic disparities between occupations are minimal, allowing people to find happiness doing the work they want and enjoy a reasonably satisfying life. However, reality is not always like that. The social perceptions and economic disparities between occupations sometimes act as insurmountable “barriers.” Just as former U.S. President Barack Obama naturally high-fived a janitor—a scene where people treat one another with respect regardless of their occupation—such interactions are certainly possible in South Korea as well, yet they are still often viewed as socially unfamiliar. In a reality where social evaluation based on occupation plays a strong role, people are more likely to strive for a job that commands higher social status rather than seeking to discover their own talents. I believe this is a problem that can arise in general situations, with the exception of a small number of people with exceptional talents.
Furthermore, South Korea has a structural environment where it is difficult for students’ opinions to be fully accepted. From the perspective of “filial piety” and “etiquette”—values inherited from Confucian tradition—obeying parents and elders has long been regarded as an important virtue. For students educated within this value system, it is not easy to oppose their parents’ views and assert their own opinions. It is particularly difficult for students to assert, on an equal footing with their parents, that they possess a talent that has not yet been objectively proven. It is also not easy for students who have not yet fully established what they consider to be the most important value for their own happiness to declare, “I want to do this to be happy.” These difficulties will only grow if students are not given sufficient time to discover their true selves, reflect independently, and explore what suits them best through diverse experiences. Ultimately, students end up choosing the path that seems most stable in practical terms, spending most of their time studying and losing the opportunity to reflect on what they truly want or to get closer to their dreams.
A Society That Struggles to Recognize Intangible Values
In South Korea, it is also difficult for intangible values to be recognized. I used to love art. I felt happy when I was creating art, and I often thought about making it my career. However, after discussing my future with my parents, I ultimately decided to give up art in my second year of middle school and focus on my studies. When we talked about my future, the criteria that were ultimately deemed most important were money and prestige. I could understand my parents’ desire for a stable job and a smooth life, and since I, too, believed that was the more stable path, I chose it. However, it’s worth considering whether that path truly leads to happiness. I was happy and found joy when I was doing art. Although I studied hard and achieved good results, the emotion I felt at the time was less about “happiness” and more like, “Did I give up everything and study just to get this one result?”
Standards of happiness are diverse, and their scope is broad. Each individual’s standards and values regarding happiness may differ, and we should respect the values that others hold dear. However, in South Korean society, there is often an excessive focus on outwardly visible values such as money and prestige. Instead of asking what someone is doing or how happy they are while doing it, people often pay more attention to how much they earn or what kind of car they drive.
This does not mean that material values are unimportant in achieving happiness. However, we need to consider spiritual values as equally important—perhaps even more so. While material possessions can lead to a sense of relative deprivation through comparison with others, spiritual values are those to which an individual assigns meaning themselves, making it difficult to evaluate their worth through simple comparison alone. While we cannot completely free ourselves from material concerns, if material values come to dominate spiritual ones, the pursuit of happiness will become even more difficult. I believe this is an important issue we need to consider in today’s South Korean society. If we can break free from this situation and shift our standards of happiness slightly closer to spiritual values rather than material ones, I believe more people than ever before will be able to find happiness in their own way.
A Life Chasing Dreams and the Meaning of Happiness
There is a book titled ‘Youth Is Pain’. The title of this book attracted a great deal of attention; while some agreed with it, many others criticized it, making it the subject of heated debate for a long time. One reason so many people took an interest in this book is likely because we are actually living in such a society, and many people are facing difficulties in the process. It is difficult because not only young people but many others are living in a reality where it is hard to pursue their dreams, and it is painful because we live in a society where we are judged by others based on practical values rather than the values we personally hold dear. In the process of achieving rapid economic growth, material values were prioritized, and in that process, other spiritual values were not sufficiently respected. In such a society, finding one’s own dream and achieving happiness through it is no easy task. However, for everyone to be happy, we must ultimately pursue the spiritual values that each of us holds dear, rather than clinging solely to monetary values. I believe that by pursuing the dreams we truly want to pursue, we can discover diverse experiences and meanings that cannot be explained by practical values alone, and through this, more people will be able to live happy lives in their own way.
