This video was an experiment with a different format/style. Let me know if you would like to see me do more of them. P.S.: Feeling so blessed to have eyes like Hugh Grant.
I couldn't decide wether I was looking at a high-level production documentary or a Mark Manson video. The bit at the end showed me that this crossover definitely kicks ass. Loved this format!
Feels awful to hear, more so perhaps because in someway in someday even the best of us may have felt that kind of pressure..a while with it already feels so depressive so to live with that feeling for all the life 😢 ..hope with this new generation's open minds towards the issue the things will be better and soon... Support to all
I taught in Korea for four months, when I quit I told my boss I’m not suicidal yet but this place is definitely pushing me in that direction. My boss responded “be strong, think of what you’re doing to the company, many people live in this city. Why are you special?” Also my students were more burned out at 14 then anyone I’ve ever met outside korea.
I admire many things about Korea, but there are (as in every country) really bad sides, and one of them is how children and teenagers are drilled - its dystopical. They are robbed of all the joy time which is sooo important for their development and mental health - its child abuse, really (my parents treated me very similar, although I grew up in the west, and it cost me almost all basics of happiness, its a wonder I did not commit sui-de)
Can you please create Korean subtitles for this video so Koreans can watch it? Im a korean and i would love to have my parents watch this. This was so helpful. Thank you so much, Mark!!!
I lived in Korea for a little over seven years, teaching for the EPIK Program. From my first year, I saw all the signs of a country emotionally and psychologically going downhill, and there were already issues with the younger generation being financially insecure. I did the best I could as an English teacher and told them that the best I can do is teach them English so that they would at least have one other choice to leave the country if they couldn't take it anymore. My time there was rough. There were a lot of great times, but it was mostly rough.
I did EPIK for a year too, this was back about 9 years ago. I was in a very small county in the south of the country. I agree, and most of my friends my age there tell me the same stuff. You either find a niche where you can be just ok in, knowing you're not special, or get out and carve your own path. Majority of my Korean friends envy America not because the culture or politics or food is "better" but at least you can be who you want to be and be accepted and find success yourself, without getting beaten into the ground from day 1.
Yeah, the thing is that they don't believe they can have another option. I'm colombian living in Japan (6 years) and I realized that I didn't know what loneliness was until I came here, despite knowing japanese I don't talk more than a sentence in my work every day... Of course I got my PhD and that's the end, I'll leave this place by September. I've been able to reach this point because I knew I could go back to my country where my family supports me, if not I don't know what could have happened to me, specially during the pandemic.
Ya, I would wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. I was with GEPIK. I enjoyed my time in Korea as a foreigner. It's rough when you see the harsh reality for your Korean friends. I think they were very nice people but boy oh boy does their country have a lot of problems. :(
I'm Korean. "If you get your shit together, you don't have to suffer from depression or anxiety" - that's what my mom told me all my life, being depressed herself for decades.
Changes nothing. I've seen a successful Korean man and his friends they're all depressed. I've lived in Korea forn10 years and I'll never forget how depressed I've been throughout. I had no pressure on me, money has been useless to the core! Robotic lifestyles ugh
Your mom's advice doesn't seem very helpful. But I think your country's medical health care system needs to be fully addressing mental health problems publicly not privately. It also needs to be discussed among Korean governments and medical Healthcare establishments in every news media, including internet news.
@@Dachshunds5ngl a country where they give importance to looks more than talent is gonna be depressing. I won’t be able to survive there. The constant judgement from everyone is gonna make me suicidal.
The best thing for koreans to learn is, "I don't give a fuck" on the _extraordinary_ expectations of my boss/parents/friends. I litteraly mean it. Chill more, let the preassure go from time to time and start living more socially focused. Every day has 24 hours and you should do 8 hours of _good_ sleep, a _maximum_ of 8 hours work where you can give 200% if you like, and 8 hours of _something socially else_ (and a little bit of workout). That will inevitably lead to more happyness and less anxiety.
@@tldw8354 The thing is Koreans can't afford themselves, so they have to work 15 hours a day. No time to sleep. Or it's simply expected of you to push yourself beyond limits to prove yourself to the company. You can say IDGAF in Europe where people don't wanna work past 3pm (seriously, that's rush hour in Slovenia), but the way South Korea is structured doesn't allow you to put your feet on the desk and ignore boss' phone calls. And Korean social hierarchy can only make it worse when people on the lower end have to constantly bow to someone who looks down on them.
As a Korean reaching 60, I feel that one of the biggest problems with Korea's education system is the intense pressure placed on students. From age 5-6 to until 19, they are focused solely on entering one of the top universities (SKY). While doing so, almost everyone tells these kids that entering a good university will guarantee them a prosperous and happy life, with good money, a good job, and even success in dating. However, the reality is much different. Once they enter university, the competition continues - to get into good companies, land well-paying jobs... it's an endless cycle of competition and comparison with friends, family members, colleagues, and neighbors. I believe this trend will continue for at least another 10-15 years, until the older generation retires. While Korea is in a transitional period, I fear things will get worse before they get better. Instead of everyone striving to become "someone" special, we need to understand that it's okay to fail, to be average, and to simply be normal. Young people need to be freed from the constant pressure and unrealistic expectations imposed by parents, society, and the media.
Yes but if you fail, it will be much harder to participate in Korea’s ‘economic miracle’ and develop a career in the Chaebol’s, in Western level jobs, earning Western level salaries. All the markets, small mom and pop stores alluded to in this video serve Korea’s ‘underclass’ of people who live middle income lifestyles, akin to those in much poorer countries like Mexico. This contrast is much starker than in the West. In the UK, you can earn middle professional manager salaries by learning a trade, like being a plumber. That isn’t the case in Korea, you’d earn far less. A professional outside a Chaebol would earn maybe a half to two thirds what the same person doing the same job inside a Chaebol would, the tradesman even less than that.
Plus traditionally in Confucian culture, your status in society determined how the laws applied to you. There was no concept of universal human rights, it was not a dignity culture where each person had ‘worth’ protected in law regardless of who they were or what they did. Park Jung Hee realised a system like this wouldn’t sustain a modern industrialised society, so copied Western legal systems to encourage industry. However, these institutions became an overlay on old Confucian feudal legal systems and their values sustained in culture. Witness what happens to Chaebol leaders who fall foul of the law. Prosecuted under the Western legal overlay, then pardoned by the President, because their status makes them above the law. Status pays, opens doors, determines who you can associate with, which is important in a 2 speed society dominated by Chaebols. Sure this sort of thing exists everywhere but its really exaggerated in Korea compared to the West. You can’t understand modern Korea without understanding the Chaebol system, there are interesting video’s on youtube about this.
Same thing is happening in China. Chinese journalists are sadly comparing both countries. Hope both east Asian countries can improve in positive way, and younger generation can have a better and balanced way to enjoy the economic growth.
I live in Ethiopia, I have worked with several Korens and most are older and whenever I point out these problems they tend to be defensive and avoid the conversation. It is a good start that the younger generation is aware of the issues.
I think Ethiopia vs Koreans are like opposites. I've worked with Ethiopians for business and they never showed up at the time they chose - they literally showed up 1 day late. I told them I won't move on with them. One is too relaxed, and the other is dying for work
@@jojomythe that's right! I gotta admit that we are laid back people in general, the huge difference in the work culture makes it easier for us to notice how their system messed them up (not defending Ethiopians)
This video is really amazing and so touching. I am Korean and I lived in another country for several years. My explanation to this emotional and mental crisis of Korea is a long lasting PTSD prevailing in the entire country, which is passing down several generations. As you said in the video, it started by Japanese colonization and Korean war. Everyone who survived, veterans, victims and their family and friends, was actually half way dead in the situation. There was no love, no friendship, no justice left, and they even laught at it when someone talks about things that don't make you survive. This might permanently damaged the brains of all of the people. Children grown up under those mentally injured parents learn the same traits, merciless competition and survival. I am the third generation after the war. My parents were not mentally healthy (for me to see), and that was because of the grandparents. My grand father was physically (and also mentally...) disabled, because he was sent to WWII and forced to work. Many of his neighbors and relatives couldn't come back. I was told that my grand father used to beat my grand mother a lot, and also the kids. At that time there was no word for PTSD, and he was seen as a normal person because everyone else was doing the same. I can say he was not mentally healthy based on current standards, but people like him was so many at that time. My fathers generation did enormous amount of hard work because they were living in the fear. 'Getting 100 or fail' kind of mindset is to survive in the fearful surrounding world. It is inherited PTSD. I say I am also affected. My family and friends are the same. I realized it when I interacted with American freinds, but Korean people in Korea just cannot recognize it. I agree with the Korean psychologist in the video. She said it is promising. I also see it is slowly being healed. The scar was made during about 40 years of period, but it will take much more time to cure, more than 100 years. We are half way there.
My heart goes out to yall. Generational PTSD is a REAL thing. Wanting to be the best and wanting to be effective for a lot of Koreans is rooted In fear . Being so terrified of being vulnerable or becoming victim to another group again. I'm American and my ancestors were oppressed for hundreds of years here. Being oppressed for so long and being punished everything we tried to create our own or fight back created a hopeless mentality. It created low self esteem. It has been proven that we inherit our ancestors traumas and its so obvious nwhen you see how people operate today. I really respect that you have noticed the issue and that you want to heal it. I'm trying to heal mines as well.
South korea is clean, polite, feminine, developed country, everything is fast in south korea. the bad things are lookism, kpop, education system, materialism
I am a Korean in my 50s. I read an introduction to this video in a newspaper article. There is no major financial shortage, but I have always lived with guilt and anxiety. I've thought it was entirely my personal responsibility, but I've come to understand that there are parts that come from the structure of society. It's a little comforting. The story about the resilience of the closing part was touching. Thank you.
I'm a Korean in my late 30's. I felt the same feelings with you. I got a professional job and have no special social problem, but I've lived with guilt and anxiety for whole my life.
I've had anxiety issues in my 20's, but I've learned along the way that those feelings aren't equal to who I am as a person. It's the result of a combination of being perceptive of negative feelings but mostly due to what we went through in our lives from a young age on. After university I realised something was wrong. I started working abroad to get to know myself outside of what I know. It opened my eyes to certain things and I learned how to control my anxiety. You can also surmount your guilt and anxiety, don't give up on yourself
This man is an absolute treasure in content creation. Mark's channel definitely has one of the most underrated content on the internet. The combination of humour and education (psychology, history) with sheer openness was translated into a beautiful emotional roller coaster ride throughout this video.
Since none of it is news anymore he could take the time to make it entertaining and about Korea and Koreans and not just one thing (as news tend to do). I'm a fan🙂
Been a newsletter subscriber of his for over a decade. I agree he’s always been that way. And i subscribe to ALOT of stuff but his was always the best because he’s an incredible writer.
The Kpop group BTS released a MV called N.O years ago about students and the harsh school system in Korea. It's well done and gives a voice to the youth. The leader of the group RM explained, that he was one of the top students in Korea but decided to be a rapper. His mom threw his computer and mic away because she wasn't pleased about his decision. And it's true. The people starts getting depressed in early age also because of the school system. They're taught to be always the best and to be the most successful. This is the most important thing for them. Another thing they're focused is the Korean beauty standarts. People that doesn't fit theses standarts are bullied or not successful no matter how good their grades are.
This content is GOLD, Mark. I was born and raised in Korea, and I was one of those kids who cry after getting 90 out of 100 on an exam. I think the biggest problem is that we’re made too busy and obsessed with achieving the *stereotypical* success to care about anything else. Most schools, parents, and media don’t talk about mental health, so we’re simply oblivious to the state of our mental health. We don’t even know we’re depressed.
it's because the east asian mentality especially, sees perseverance and tolerating a lot as some kind of badge of honour and good trait, which i can see how it is a good thing in some respects in this rollercoaster called life. but what happens when you reach breaking point and burn out? where is the support and empathy? the one good thing that has remained in east and SE asian cultures is the reverence for the elderly and closeness of the family unit and extended family. that's the thing that i think western cultures (although there are still some traditional western cultures, more in central and eastern europe) are lacking. without this, you can feel like a bit of a lost soul without being connected to anything. it can elicit a feeling of emptiness. hyper individualism and the "it's all about me, me, me" mentality is increasing in the west. on the other hand, it would be a problem if you have a toxic and abusive family. i guess it's about the yin and yang, which comes from chinese influence and the symbol features on the korean flag. there needs to be balance in everything. i think that historically until now, asian cultures place such an emphasis on academics because that's how people earned respect and status in their societies. it's a bit of a conundrum in the age of kpop, OF and social media celebrities. there are actual alternate routes to become 'successful' more than ever now and it's been made possible through technology.
영상 보다가 양브로님들이 마크 맨슨님을 앉혀두고 K-외모평가를 시전하시는 부분 보고 놀랐습니다. 한국을 살기 힘들게 만드는 것이 바로 개인에 대한 바운더리를 쉽게 넘나드는 것이고 그중 대표적인 현상이 외모평가를 쉽게 하는 문화라고 생각하는데요, 마치 시연이라도 하시듯 그것을 하시는 게 보기 좋지 않았습니다. 다른 사람들도 아니고 정신과 의사분들이 그러시니 무척이나 놀랐습니다. 아무리 끝이 칭찬으로 끝났을지라도 무례하게 보였습니다. 저 분들도 나름 우리나라를 정신적으로 풍요롭게 하려고 노력하시는 분들인데도 한국의 큰 문화적 분위기에 스며든 것은 거스를 수 없는 걸까요. 여러가지 생각이 드는 장면이었습니다.
@@밝은하루-v5i갑분 이걸 한국인이 하냐 외국인이 하냐로 몰아가는 로직이 더 웃긴데ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 하지 말아야 할 칭찬도 있답니다 그 외모 칭찬이 이 영상에서 말하는 한국을 우울케 하는 점 중 하나라고 몇몇 댓글에서 얘기하는건데 참 ㅋㅋㅋ 3개월 여행왔다 가셨으니 개인영역 침범이 뭔지 이해는 안되겠지
I made Korean friends when they came over to the UK to study postgraduate law at a prestigious university. When we started getting our grades back, they were HORRIFIED not to get 100%, and I had to explain many times that no UK professor would even give 100% so chill and after a while, they did relax. They were the most gorgeous people ever, and I grew to love them very much, and I miss each and every one of them ❤
@@hassan_codesthat’s just what they drill into your head in Korea. Even on their “Korean SAT” aka seunung, not getting 100% can mean no prestigious university and then no good job etc.
Materialism is poison,and the problem is that everything getting more expensive and jobs are becoming more competitive and studying hours also jumped so high it's very sad, not only South Korea has this problem many countries do too
Agree. If you're a senior, that is totally heartbreaking. Like... what was it all for? As a youth, it's terrifying. Like.... what am I looking forward to? Decades of work with in a tunnel with no end or light in sight.
It has to do with what mark said in the previous travel analysis. If like let's say Brazil is great for it's sensuality, the opposite is also true. And it's like that for every country you visit. Korea is conscientious but when you lose productivity then what is the meaning of life. In essence you are a shame unto yourself. It's logical, given eastern values.
10:17 LOL As Korean I think this conversation really explains the lookism in Korean society. People think it's a natural thing to talk about other's appearance and make compliment like that. This is wrong.
What's wrong with giving compliments? I think the problem may be that Koreans criticize everything too much. There is nth wrong with giving compliments 😅
I heard that Korea's most important day is the college entrance tests day, it blew my mind. Airports would shut down and everybody gets into a very serious tone. That's how competitive Korea's education is.
As a Korean, the pros and cons of my country are evident. It's a heaven for a consumer, which means manifold and convenient services are surprising and satisfying enough to sustain your life here. But the reason why it is regarded a hell is that YOU NEED TO CONTRIBUTE to this system as a worker/service provider/students as well. Addition to my comment : Some Koreans also talk about "lookism" but I think it's quite hypocritical because these days in the modern world, other countries are not free from evaluation toward appearances. In this sense, we, Koreans denigrate ourselves in an imprecise way because of the stress they got somewhere. The conclusion should not be like Oh you must leave Korea or No you must live in Korea. We need to be objective to understand the true pros and cons.
Despite putting in hard work and graduating from a university in Seoul, I felt defeated by the high barriers to employment, leading to the development of depression and anxiety, which I am currently undergoing treatment for. I watched the video with deep empathy as someone going through similar struggles. While receiving psychiatric therapy, the disheartening view from my parents, perceiving me as a weak and disappointing individual, along with their harsh words, and the ongoing job failures, make each day of job preparation a struggle. I find myself lacking the motivation to continue, feeling helpless, and overwhelmed with thoughts of wanting to end my life. Amidst this, I'm glad to have come across a video that explains these reasons. Although thoughts of suicide haven't completely vanished, the guilt of being deemed useless by society and achieving disappointing results has slightly lessened. Just realizing that my situation is, in fact, a societal responsibility provides significant comfort.
warm hugs to you from the usa. i hope you can find someone who understands you & your trials & accepts you without judgment. the world is complex; and you have shown much courage in seeking help.
19:09 요약 진짜 정확하네요 모두를 이겨야 하고, 누구보다 잘나야 하며, 한번이라도 실패해서는 안되지만 누구와도 공유할 수 없는 상황에서 얼마나 버틸 수 있을까요. 점점 개개인에게 기본으로 요구하는 사회적-정서적-물질적 수치가 다양해지고, 그 수준 또한 높아지고 있으니 이것에 지쳐 떨어져나가고 있는 사람들이 많답니다. 어떻게 보면 정말 엄격한 선별작업을 통해 최상의 몇몇 제품만 팔고 나머지는 버려버리는 장사방식이네요 ㅋㅋ
저도 외모 칭찬 자주하지만 이건 진짜 좀 놀랐음... ㅋㅋㅋ 자기들은 그걸 선의의 아이스브레킹이라고 생각했을껀데 외국에선 그런 평가질 자체를 초면에 조크로도 잘 안하는편인데 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 자기들은 그것에 대한 전혀 인식이 없다는거 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 한국이 평가질이 진짜 좀 심하구나 하던 모먼트 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 남 와꾸도 초면에 바로 조크로 틀어버리는데 평상시는 어떨지 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 당연한거고...
I'm Korean, That was really embarrasing. Even they are psychologist they didn't realize what's wrong with them. I reckon they thought that was a good joking or compliment. That's really rude mention.
I'm Korean but I've been living abroad most of my life. I had no idea that I am culturally not Korean at all until I started dating in Korea. People nonchalantly mention suicidal thoughts, and wanting to run away and quit everything. How casually they deal with severe mental health issues and substance abuse, and even the news of an acquaintance killing themselves, is shocking. or how much they care about optics (as opposed to how much they don't care about what they feel inside).Their societal, cultural issues have been boggling my mind so much so that I've been getting therapy after witnessing this in person. This is such an important topic that needs to be addressed. Thank you for making this into a video.
By in large Koreans are happy and enjoy a solid mental state. In comparison, the familial and social dysfunctions people in the West, namely the U.S., struggle with is far more severe. People like you, who most likely enjoyed a family centered environment even in the U.S., who were mostly sheltered and kept away from having to deal with physical abuse, sexual abuse, divorced parents, alcoholic drugged out siblings, YOU have the luxury of seeing the minor differences between you and Koreans and Korea and are magnifying the impact it's having on you. I'm Korean born and raised in Korea, and it's baffling to hear anecdotes from people like you and then trying to pass that off as the norm. I truly question how/who/why you've come to see what you've experienced in Korea. Time to look in the mirror and perhaps evaluate your surroundings.
It is important to recognize and address mental health issues within any society, especially when they are so prevalent and normalized. It is brave of you to seek therapy and confront these issues that affect not only individuals, but the society as a whole. It is crucial to continue discussing and raising awareness about mental health in order to break the stigma and provide support to those who are struggling. Thank you for sharing your experience and shedding light on this important topic.
I think your words sounds a bit harsh. Which means it sounds like generalizing korean's as if every korean people are casualy talking about suicidal thoughts.
@@ChristianC-gy1ym its pretty true with koreas gen-z. most of my korean tutors(they change each month) are my age and we talk like a friend would most of the time(execpt for the super serious ones lol). they casually make a joke about wanting to not be alive after they make a small mistake like its normal.
As a 54yr old Korean-American whose lived in the US since 2yrs old and in Korea for the past 20 years, I think I have enough first-hand personal 'lived experience' to have a deep understanding of the problems Korea faces and the differences between issues in Korea and western societies namely the US. First I'd like to congratulate and applaud you for putting together a very well-researched and accurate video on the topic and which delves deeply enough to point out and present the root causes. There are way too many Gen Z 'tiktalkers' and 'influencers' that try to present such "Why so-and-so..' videos without having a clue as to what they are talking about. Most of them are pretty much just surface level observations they have experienced one or two times or a 'compilation' of talking points they have put together from other peep's videos online, which never fails to get to the root causes. Regarding this topic at hand, more often than not it usually comes down to something like this, 'Koreans are too materialistic and fake, not to mention so competitive and narcissistic they have unrealistic beauty standards which drives them to be the cosmetic surgery capital of the world. No wonder they get so depressed if they don't think they're number one.. etc. etc.' It's true, on the surface there's outward materialism, and competitiveness, and all those things mentioned. However, instead of simply writing it off as negative and undesirable traits as viewed in the west, if one takes the time to try and find out the root causes/reasons for such, they would come to understand why Koreans are such-and-such. Also, in many cases they would see that in many, if not most cases, the 'cause and effect' of such personality/character traits are quite different as compared to the west. Much has to do with Confucianist values of group harmony and unity, respect for elders/others, close family, patriarchal norm, etc. along with the fact Korea went from an agrarian society to the 9-10th largest industrialized economy in the world in a few short decades, which was pointed out in your expose, you get a better understanding of the nuances of why these character traits evolved in the society. The competitive nature in Korea was not only brought on by parents wanting their children to succeed and outdo the Lee's kids, but even the government was pushing for academic advancement and excellence because without that, how else would Korea became a developed country with advance knowledge in industry, technology, academics, research etc. As a result the overseas travel restrictions were lifted after the 88 Seoul Olympics to encourage study abroad and that's when you saw a sudden influx of Koreans going abroad to the US, UK, CN etc. to study in higher education not only for BA but also masters and doctoral programs. They were the ones literally bringing back textbook theoretical knowledge and putting it into real world applications when they returned and became employed, they had no mentor or higher-uppers to train them like you normally would at your job. I noticed one commenter from the UK who said some Korean exchange students were horrified for not receiving a grade of 100. When Koreans exchange students go abroad to study, they're not going there to just get a grade and graduate, they're going there to actually learn in depth as much as they can as they must apply it when they return and find employment. In doing so, they're not only advancing their personal position, they're contributing to the advancement of their company which in turn contributes to the advancement of Korea overall. People don't realize or know, understandably since Korean history is not taught in the US (Hell, even a lot of American history isn't taught in schools in the US), but not only was Korea invaded and colonialized by Japan from late 1800's until 1945 with their defeat in WW2, but Korea has been invaded countless times throughout centuries by the Manchurians, Mongols, France, and more recently by China and Russia thru their proxy the North, which led to the Korean War in 1950, just 5 years after the Japanese Imperial Army withdrew. Thus, Korea is a very nationalistic and homogenous country, which also makes them very proud of their 'survival skills' having remained a sovereign nation through all that. How many times has the US been attacked / invaded / occupied, or the UK or AUS? It's hard to imagine what it feels like if you've not personally experienced it. Since foreigners don't know Korean history they've historically, and incorrectly, labeled Korea as a racist/xenophobic country. Well if your country has been invaded countless times throughout history wouldn't you have an aversion to outsiders as well? It only makes sense. Also, look at what's happening today in European countries like the UK, DN, FR, SW etc. after they opened up their immigration policies. It's not that Korean's are inherently racist or xenophobic, they understand that an influx or foreigners and their culture would disrupt social order and harmony in the host country, which it seems the West is just now finding out. Boomers onwards in developed countries have never experienced firsthand invasion, war, foreign occupation, industrialization, hyper-development and technological advancement. Korea has experienced all of these within one generation's time period, 1G. My father's generation, born in 1933, has seen, lived through and experienced all of these. Most post-war westerners couldn't even fathom what it would be like to live through an era with such turmoil and change, fortunately for the better, and the immense pressures, hardships, stress and other burdens it puts on a societal and individual level, through all areas of society, also coupled with the values of Confucianism you have a recipe for disaster if not managed well (which you pointed out). I just wanted to add a little more, my two cents worth, in terms of context because to truly understand a country, you really need to have a deeper understanding of it's historical, cultural, religious etc. aspects as they are all inter-influential in shaping a society. Many young people do not understand this as they lack 'life experience', but yet think they know it all. Take 'materialism' for example, unlike in the west which is all about 'pimping' and vanity, in Korea it stems from a different reason culturally. Sure it's starting to mirror the West from a couple decades ago with the advent of the internet, but the 'effect' of materialism stems from a desire to project the image of success, which not only has a selfish component but also reflects well on your family, it shows that your parents succeeded at parenting and raised you well, it makes them proud (once again pride is very important in Korea), and as a good son or daughter, there's nothing greater you can do for your parents than to be successful and make them proud, which is like showing your gratitude for all the sacrifice they made in raising you, sending you to the best school/after-school academy they could afford. These are concepts which are foreign in the West due to their sense of individualism and independence. Once again I commend you for your effort in trying to put together as honest and accurate a picture of the topic at hand. You did an excellent job considering the conciseness of your video, the best by a foreigner that I've seen.
Good comment overall. However parents expecting gratitude from their children is part of the problem. If they don’t want the responsibility with having a child, then don’t have them. But to have them with the expectation that they base their entire life on pleasing you and making you proud is the height of ignorance. That is exactly the type of people that should not be having kids. Ironically they probably had kids in the first place caving in to societal demands, so in a way they feed the cycle. The victim of the cycle becomes a perpetrator. SK is getting its karma now.
I LOVE YOUR COUNTRY. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, FOOD IS UNIQUE, YOUR PEOPLE IS LOVELY, EVEN WITH ALL THE BAD AND GOOD THINGS. I VISIT KOREA ON 2023, AND I FELT IN LOVE WITH IT FOREVER!
@@thecrimsondragon9744Having no expectations from your children is irresponsible parenting. A responsible parent should raise their children to be confident, hardworking, striving, respectful, independent and resourceful. Failure should be taught as a learning experience but not trying or giving 100% effort as more disappointing. Most Korean children, even in the West, are raised with such expectations or goals and they internalize these expectations/goals. They mostly want to make their parents proud as they understand sacrifices have been made. They grow up taking far better care of their elderly parents than most Westerners so Korean parents are doing something right. We generally don’t forsake our elderly into old folk homes, no matter the hardship. Competitiveness is in our blood. Survival of the fittest is very real in Koreans due to occupation and oppression. We aren’t raised to be nor do we raise strawberry children😅 Granted, I am speaking from a Korean immigrant and first generation Korean American perspective and my parents immigrated to USA solely to provide their children with more educational and career opportunities😅
It was an honor showing you and Will around Korea. You guys did a phenomenal job showing the best and worst of Korea. Resilience IS the best word to describe Korea and even when things feel hopeless in Korea (especially these days in politics as well) I know Koreans are resilient and will rise to the occasion. We are resilient and super adaptable. I am so proud of my Korean heritage and really appreciate you and your team shining light on Korea. I hope a lot of Koreans watch this :) 🎉🎉more Mark documentary style travel videos like this please!!!
But how does resilience go with the highest number of suicides? Lovest childbirths? Highest beauty standards? Asking because I generally don't see it as resilience. I see a lot of adaptation, incredible competitiveness, incredible fastmoving innovation in all areas and a lot of other things🙂
@@ycc7744 Korea has been through quite a lot of trauma. Including the Japanese invasion and attempted erasure of the Korean people & culture in the early 1900s. Genocide most recently happened in S Korea in the 1950s. That wasn’t that long ago!!
Mark, Ive been a fan/follower for years. This is the best peice of content youve put out in a while. The empathy, the objectivity, the optimism. There is a zest for life that is infectious. More please.
this is a great video. I've been to south korea many times myself and absolutely love it there...as a visitor. having gone so many times, i've seen the good and the bad, especially in seoul. i learned a lot from interacting and making friends with locals but i've learned even more from just observing. the country and its people are beautiful but they have their challenges too. getting to immerse oneself in the culture really opens your eyes from the glitz that represents them in media. you get to see the reality of it all and that's very well reflected in this video. truly, truly well made. also, heh. 13:06 had to double take to make sure it's felix lmao
What about the bullying and hierarchy? Some are bullied to death in the military and schools, only because they are poor, not good looking, or even just younger. I think it is a really big and serious problem existing in Korea.
Very understanding and heartwarming video. You did not describe nor define Korea’s problems through judgmental perspective but rather critically viewed and sincerely hoped for our better future. Thanks for a great video.
SOUTH KOREA IS SO F4KE SIR ! 🤮 MY INDIA IS BETTER ! 🤗🇮🇳🥰 🇮🇱THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗
WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! I WILL NEVER GO TO SOUTH KOREA ! 😡😡 THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳
I had left Korea when I was 27, and I have lived in Australia since then. There are many reasons why I left Korea however one of the biggest reasons is backstabbing culture and toxic work culture. Wherever you are at work and school, people are very nice in front of you but they stab your back behind you. what I mean is they gossip about you and pull you down.Especially when they believe you have more than them or you are smarter then them. It made me really sick. Of course anywhere around the world there is bullying, toxic culture exists. However, I never ever regret the fact that I left Korea.
I'm actually second-generation Korean living in Australia. I'm so grateful that they moved here. But the commenter above me is right, the cheap food and food stalls are great I travel to Korea a lot.
@@dazdje Traveling to Korea is fun and you can enjoy yummy Korean food. However, living and working there is different story, if you work there, average working hour is 50hrs, also minimum wages are like $10 (AUD) an hour, but the cost of living is almost same as Australia. You can imagine how hard Korean people's lives are.
I'm a Korean-American, born and raised in Korea until high school and immigrated to America in 1981. This video is spot-on. When I was living in Korea, I was under so much pressure to excel in school, mercilessly driven to study so very hard to go to a good university - by the time I was in high school, I felt so old, exhausted, and wanted to retire from life. It was all about studying all the time to get the best grades with no time to play or have fun. We even pressured to waste as little time as possible on sleeping at night. I was so stressed, depressed and worn out. It was brutal. We never blamed society or others with sense of entitlement that most Americans have, and we just took all responsibility on our individual selves to work hard, improve ourselves and excel. Some of my Korean friends as adults had to work so hard, couldn't go home at night, had to continue working all night and sleep at their desks, some of them died of failed health - literally working to death. There is a price in coming so far from the poor and war-torn country to the one now excelling in every field.
@@backintimealwyn5736 Hahaha! In a long process, I had to learn to relax and let loose, not being so uptight, regimented to organize and control my life all the time. Need to balance.
@@stilldrop9540 sure, but it's easier than struggling to make any effort. the US and the west in general also need to balance, the perfect system is somewhere in the middle, I would say that it's closer to Korea than western schools (since we have to all make the same mistakes and copy our worst ideas) , we used to have more demanding education systems, a lot of pressure too, but not as much than Korea, things were so much better.
The price is far, far higher. It is hundreds of millions of Africans and Asians being literally worked to death with whips and guns to provide you free resources. It is the investment of a big chunk of global GDP that the west stole from those places and invested into South Korea to create fake excellence. A billion souls worked or tortured to death to create the most depressed society ever. But hey, you won, congratulations.
@@backintimealwyn5736 I've found it's hard to connect with relaxed, not-so-ambitious Americans. Can't make friends because you're a weird quiet kid who just isn't cool or interesting. I don't think being a nerd is very popular.
Very nice and accurate insight. But most Korean people even do not recognize how depressed they are. I am Korean but have been lived in other countries for more than 10 years. Never coming back.
This is what TH-cam was made for. You've done a great job outlining all the factors leading up to the problem. From storytelling to visuals and use of motion graphics, this was a great video overall.
As a Korean who spent my childhood in Korea and moved to other countries during my teens, I can definitely see how competitive Korean society is compared to other countries. This video is incredibly accurate and relatable. Thank you Mark and his team for this informative video, my entire family has now watched it !
As someone practicing slow living, who went through growing up with a self-inflicted need to achieve and not getting into school like I wanted due to conflict with parents, this makes me grateful to live where I am. That I can actually take a breath if I wanted to, after years of pushing myself
17:40 This is so freaking true. My mom is clearly suffering mentally in various ways, yet she refuses to seek counseling or help from mental health professionals. I struggled with panic disorder for three years, and she always asks me, 'Can't you just overcome it?' No, mom, this is emotional abuse, seriously.
My family immigrated from Korea to the US when I was 12. When I went to school in Korea, the pressure to do well was so intense that I still suffer from PTSD after 40 yrs. My older sister, my younger brother, and I have all done really well (the academic standard in the US is a joke compared to Korea) because of how we were raised in Korea but I feel like I would have never made it had my family stayed in Korea. Yes, I also refuse to see a psychiatrist because I think being stubborn and being self-reliant is the definition of Korean mentality. hahaha
my parents were pretty open to me getting mental help because we lived in the US for 5 years a long time ago. But they still have the mindset of: "if you're traumatized or hurt by what someone has said/done, that's on you because the same thing might not impact others the same way, so just get an apology and move on". It's frustrating to me because I bring up the past because I feel like it NEEDS to be addressed for one to actually move on and make peace. Especially when it's caused by your own parents, and we'll have to see them for a long time until they pass.
@@mspsys as someone who has overcome depression I think talking with yourself is better than a psychiatrist. Or talking with people that are in the same situation also helps, though they are hard to find. The point is you are not alone in the way that you feel.
As a expat who has been living in Seoul for 4 years, I think this video beautifully sums up the situation in Korea. All of these points are true and I have seen it myself. I have had conversations with coworkers and friends about these things. The differences between Korea and the US/Western world. The biggest difference is definitely the view of mental health and accessibility. I realized how uninformed many Koreans are about mental health and mental disorders. They are surprised at how open I am about these topics and how my friends have been open to me when I tell them stories of my friends' struggles. I will say the younger generations are much more open to talking about mental health and making mental health a priority. Some children I work with are getting help and treated. However, there are so many that view any mental health issues, disorders, or disabilities as a weakness and will try to hide it or choose to ignore the reality that it is happening to them/a loved one. One friend who teaches kindergarten told me how one of their previous students definitely had some kind of mental disability and the parents were in formed this child should be tested. But the parents refused because they say "nothing is wrong with my child." Instead of identifying it early and getting help and treatment that will help their child cope and function well in life, they choose to ignore it because they don't want their child singled out. The work culture is also brutal. Just as the video says, many work crazy hours even if they don't have work. OR they have so much work, they work crazy hours. I had a friend getting 2-4 hours of time at home (getting home around 4am and back at work at 9am), with no overtime pay, and crazy pressure of having to complete a bucket load of tasks and some of those tasks she was not qualified or had the education to actually do. She did this work schedule for months! And to add another factor into the mix, the birth rate is low and the government is trying to encourage people to have children. However, how can it be expected for a person, who is barely seeing the apartment they rent, to have the time for a relationship and then have time to raise and care for a child? Very unrealistic. Even as a foreigner, I have felt the pressures as well. I am supposed to be a "role model" and "example of a good citizen." Which is fair, but there is no wiggle room here to be human and make mistakes. I feel judged or that I will be judged. And as an averaged sized American, the stress about my body image during my first year here was strong. I've grown to not care about it now but that first year when you are thrown into a society all about image, you start caring too when you realize how much everyone cares. I love this country. It's beautiful and the culture is beautiful. Generally, the people are wonderful and nice and the food is to die for. However, I have felt weighed down and stifled so I actually am returning home after 4 crazy years of fun but also awful experiences (but mostly fun). And most of my friends feel the same way and are leaving one by one, some of them taking Korean SOs that want out too. There are so many factors to this decision so don't weigh it all on Korean society/mentality as a whole, but it is a factor.
당신의 따뜻한 마음과 좋은 의견에 감사합니다. 현실은 당신이 말한것보다 한국은 더 최악입니다. 정말로 자본주의와 유교의 나쁜점만 갖고 있습니다. 나도 한국이 변하길 바라지만 쉽지 않습니다. 많은 사람들이 영상을 보고, 뭔가를 느끼고 반성했으면 좋겠습니다. 감사합니다❤❤❤
This is really sad, I was one of the people who standardized Korea because of what I saw in kdramas, I still dream of visiting Korea and i think it's good that people are more open to the importance of mental health.
As a Korean, I agree with your points about the importance of mental well-being. However, in Korean society, fierce competition starts at a young age, as early as elementary school. This creates a paradox: while mental health is recognized as crucial, current solutions often fail to address the issue at its root, which is the relentless pressure to compete. Even though individuals pursue success in various aspects of life, from academics and careers to marriage and social standing, the constant struggle to "win" fuels the prevalence of mental health concerns. Eliminating competition entirely, however, wouldn't be a viable solution. Korean society has achieved significant advancements through its emphasis on hard work and pushing individuals to strive for excellence. The challenge lies in adapting to changing times. The current competition-driven model, championed by older generations and politicians, no longer aligns with the needs of today's society. Maintaining this approach only exacerbates the situation, as evidenced by the unprecedented decline in birth rates, surpassing even war-torn nations. While competition can be a positive force, the rigid, one-size-fits-all approach stifles the potential of individuals with diverse talents. To thrive as a nation in the face of evolving global needs, we must cultivate diverse fields for competition, fostering creativity and efficiency across various fields. It's crucial that older generations and policymakers acknowledge the need to move beyond the singular focus on competition and embrace a more multifaceted approach that allows individuals to succeed in different ways.
This is so spot on. I'm grateful for the fact that, instead of just taking a nosedive, youwent deep inside one's culture and really tried to understand before you come up with a conclusion. For that I really appreciate the work you put in to make this video a possibility, and subbed for more quality contents like this.
심지어 배웠다는 의사분도 저 나이대 이상 한국인들은 다 저모양이고 저게 뭐가 잘못된줄도 모름 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 초면에, 안친한데, 외모나, 재산, 연봉, 학교, 이런 민감한걸 전혀 꺼리낌없이 묻는게 한국문화 하긴 의사?였다는건 20살때 의대 들어갔을테고 그런 포지션으로 쭈욱 살았으니 ㅋㅋ 아무도 태클 안건 삶 살았으니 한국인 그 자체가 될수밖에 없었을듯
Fantastic summary of Korean cultural uniqueness and the events that led to where they're at today. The other layer is the economic decisions that led to the Chaebol dominance in the economy. As someone who has enjoyed learning about Korean culture since discovering KDramas during lockdown (and then learning Korean as a hobby) I have found that KDramas are doing a decent job at exposing and discussing the challenges and taboos in their society. Not just the usual taboo relationship tropes. Dramas like DP that expose the mental health issues in military service and My Liberation Notes that explore the grinding commutes and hopelessness of climbing the ladder.
The jaebol dominance is a product of Confucianism and capitalistic policies post-Korean war. Mark did an excellent job succinctly summarizing it as "the worst parts of Confucianism and worst parts of capitalism".
"My Mister" is a Kdrama that I recommend to people. It's accurate in the way it portrays their mentality and social pressures. Also a really well made series. Now made even more poignant with the main actor Lee Sun Kyun's recent Su1c1de.
As a Korean, as rightfully said by Seohyun, it is changing and it will change. It just takes time for all the generations to acknowledge and recognize and value each other. All I can say now is that Korea is still in transition, trying to resolve these complex issues.
They won't change if they don't acknowledge the problem and have the political will to make structural changes to the societal system and expectations. When something happens (last year, it was suicide of teachers, and suicide of another celebrity), there will be rallies, discussions etc. Then it all dies down and nothing changes.
@@AliAli-et7zyi don’t think u can speak for koreans who live there or have lived there and say it’s changing but very slowly 💀 n ur name is ali so i’m sure ur from muslim country or smth so u wouldn’t know better than a korean
As a Korean, I think his video should be required viewing for governments, parliaments, and any organization that makes policy in South Korea. Very accurate than any other written or spoken materials ever made by us Koreans.
SOUTH KOREA IS SO F4KE SIR ! 🤮 MY INDIA IS BETTER ! 🤗🇮🇳🥰 🇮🇱THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗
SOUTH KOREA IS SO DANGEROUS SIR ! MY INDIA IS BETTER ! 🤗🇮🇳🥰 🇮🇱THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗
WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! I WILL NEVER GO TO SOUTH KOREA ! 😡😡 THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳
I really appreciate your so much effort to analyse the current states of Korean society. I, as a Korean living in Europe, have felt hard to explain the complex pros and cons of Korean society to friends in here. Even though I agree most of the points you made in this video, I was not able to organize how they are related. In that point, this you did amazing job to clarify the complex relation between factors and their results. Now this is one of my favorite video in youtube, and I'll recommend this video to anyone who are interested in the Korean society. Good job Mark again, and I am looking forward to see other videos! Cheers
I really appreciate your insights and advice for Korea. As a Korean, we need this kind of objective point of view and opinions from outside our society for a better change. Thank you.
WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! I WILL NEVER GO TO SOUTH KOREA ! 😡😡 THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳
한국의 문제를 받아들이고 해결하려는 모습 조차도 한국인의 모습 같음,,, 자신을 발전시켜야 살아남을 수 있으니 그럼 해보자는 생각이 내면화되면서 외부적으로도 적용하는 듯,,, 댓글을 보니 문제가 해결될 수 없다는 의견보다 나아진 한국을 그리는 사람이 많은 걸 보면 해결할 수 있다는 생각을 많이 가지는 걸 볼 수 있음 그래서 한국인이 resilience를 가졌다고 하는 말이 이해가 됨,,,
외국인의 눈으로 한국을 보니 역시 더 정확하게 보이는구나. ’모아니면 도(All or nothing)’ 성공아니면 실패라는 인지왜곡적인 교육방식과 그로인한 무한경쟁, 보수적이고 집단적인 유교문화와 자본주의의 물질주의적인 가치 상충이 한국인을 우울하게 만들고 있다는 내용인데 극히 공감된다. 집단의 책임감과 압박은 높고 자유와 개인은 없는 물질적이고 자본주의적인 성공도 함께 달성해야 하는 일타쌍피적인 압박…이러니 한국인들이 우울하고 피곤할 수밖에..ㅎㅎ 그나저나 출연한 한국인 정신과 의사형제들은 처음 본 미국사람 외모평가질 오지게 한다..
@@탄량 ㅇㅇ 그야 누구냐에 따라 다르죠. 다만 전 불행했을거라 봅니다. 누군가는 흙파먹고 의료시설도 제대로 안되있어서 집에서 죽어나가도 행복함을 느낄 순 있지만, 전 그렇지 못햇을거라 생각합니다. 비교 관념이란게 뭔가요? 그냥 비교 아닌가요? 결국 물질적 조건이 충족되었음에도 우울한건... 그 사람의 마음가짐입니다. 후진국에선 우울할 틈이 없죠. 기본적으로 물가는 낮지만 소득은 그보다 훨씬 낮아서 정말로 말 그대로 하루벌어 하루 살아가는게 후진국입니다. 우울할 시간이 있는것 조차도 사치죠. 순간순간이 말그대로 생존을 위한 몸부림인데.
@off7970 진정하세요. 님처럼 발끈하는것도 화병의 증상중 하나이며 한국인에게 쉽게 발견됩니다. 앞으로요? 글쎄요... 우리가 그걸 선택할 수 있는 입장이라면 저도 참 좋겠네요. 뭐든지 선택가능하다면 경제도 여유있고 사람도 여유있으면 좋겠습니다. 근데 그렇게 좋은 선택지가, [난 이렇게 할거라긍!]이라고 해서 존재할지가 의문이네요. 다시 말하지만 진정하시구요.
@user-getjswq1dheewi 하고싶은말? 난 앞으로에 대해 언급하지 않았던거지. 지금까지 그래왔다라는거였지, 앞으로도 그래야한다고 말하지 않았음. 한국어 이해가 가능하신 분이시라면 한번만 읽어도 알 수 있는 내용. 그걸 마치 앞으로도 그래야 하냐고 대뜸 말하는 사람한테 하났냐고 하는것뿐. 하지도 않은 말에 발끈하니까. 님도 화가 나셨나요?
As a korean who will soon turn 19, this video almost made me cry. It is true we suffer and are worried about us and what the future will hold, but the reason why I couldn't give up and kept myself together was that slight hope that I never told anyone that things will get better if I try better, if I try to become that generation to lead the way to a much more acceptable happiness. As always I was thinking about leaving the country because of the lack of space and acceptance my generation gets, but again I also wish to stay where I laughed, cried and was born. I believe that we will get through this.
Just keep going and pushing. You'll be ok! Anyone at 19, their life has not even fully blossomed yet and begun. You've got to dig deep and try to bloom where you are planted. I hope very much that your beautiful country and its people rise to the level of self-acceptance and inner happiness that you hope to see in your world. You seem to have a really good heart.
Korea is amazing...lived there for a year many years ago- some unbelievable and resilient people, and in my experience, some of the kindest people. I hope this helps open the dialogue for everyone ...thanks, Mark!
Being a foreigner that lived in Korea, I always pointed out the dichotomy of the society. The glitz and glam that you would often see but a couple streets away it would look more like I stepped back in time a couple decades. Seoul was an amazing experience but I know as someone who didn’t work in the Korean economy, I didn’t fall under the societal pressure that they did. I got to experience all the up sides with none of the downsides. I would love to go back to Korea and experience more of the culture and especially the food!
I also recognize the same could be said about America in the fact that there is a big difference in Beverly Hills and somewhere like Compton but it felt more in your face and kind of surprising in Korea.
Regarding your second comment, I second that. The huge differences in the neighborhoods in LA are obvious. Even just going across the street, you can notice the huge economic crises in the transient populations and the homelessness due to the extraordinarily high cost of housing. @@AverageBlackManJ
There are dichotomies in pretty much every society, kinda makes it interesting. It is often easier to notice if you are coming from the outside, though.
@@ssssssstssssssss this is definitely true. In your own society, things just seem normal as they are. When in a different location, you pick up on things that are different because nothing there is normal to you.
As an educator in Korea for the last dozen years, I agree with this video. Korea excelled in economics because it needed to survive. Now it must tackle its social problems, inequalities, and depression-inducing educational and work methods if it wants to survive.
The thing is stress and depression is all self-induced. So it's not the government or society that creates it. But it's one's own self-deprecating thoughts that induce it.
@@RollerBladingSuxssome society’s have terrible stressors and thought processes that can contribute to your pressure. You don’t exist in a vacuum so Your society can cultivate harmful thought processes and expectations that you have to work through to fix
@@RollerBladingSuxsunless you are in a forest you will always be influenced and affected by the things around you, especially early childhood where you learn the most about what type of attitudes and ways you deal with life. Shame is a huge part of these societies
I’ve been resisting from watching this video even though it kept on popping up on my feed, as I feared it would be too depressing to watch. But wow, i got sucked in, watched the whole thing in one sitting without skipping. I’m glad that Mark found resilience in Korean people and some hope in the country I was born in. Thank you for the good work, it is very well made.
I am German but live in Korea for the past 4 years. I absolutely love it here, but I know, that is, because the societal norms and pressures for Koreans, don't apply to me as a foreigner. And I don't work a 9-5 job. Korea is a great beautiful country, but it heavily depends on, what you do for work and how financially free you are.
The Lord Jesus Christ became the Savior of sinners (all humans) by coming down from Heaven & dying on the 🪵 wooden cross for our sins. God raised Him from the dead, and Jesus is now a living Savior with God in heaven. But don't lose hope. Anyone can be saved from their sins and from going to hell in two easy, peasy steps: 1. Realize that you are a sinner who CAN'T SAVE YOURSELF from going to the lake of fire (forever) 🔥 based on your good deeds, your own philosophy, and other religions. 2. Realize that you need to believe in your heart ❤️ that ONLY Jesus Christ died for your sins. If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart ❤️ that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart ❤️ man believe unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Congratulations! 🎊 👏 After this life, you're on your way to heaven forever! ⬆️💯🥳
Born and raised, now nearing my 40s here in the peninsula, I feel like we are perhaps the most anxious & confused people in the world. The fact that those in younger generation nowadays are more aware of what's wrong with the country, I hope there still is a hope for a better future. We showed the world our economic success and now it's time for some self-care. Let us stay sane no matter what, dear fellow Koreans! Huge thanks to this video, Mark!
As a Korean middle-aged man having two kids, this is a really well-made documentary. I couldn't agree more . A few years ago, I moved to Canada with my family. That's a good opportunity to compare my home country and North American culture. And now I realized how depressed my life was. And I thought that was just normal life that everybody on the planet has. Now I know it's not.
호주같은 나라처럼 석유나 석탄등 자원이 많은것도 아니고 일본이나 영국같은 패권국가가 아닌 나라가 살아가기위해서 오로지 사람들 갈아서 만든나라가 한국이지.. 그래서 서로 끝없이 경쟁하게 만들고 지면 도태된거고 그로인해 정신적 스트레스는 끝없이 올라가고.. 이 나라가 살기위해서는 어쩔수없는 선택이었다고 생각함 진짜 사람말고는 자원이 아무것도 없었으니까
Your description is more suited to Japan. No oil, no coal, tons of disaster especially eartquake, and 70% land covered by mountainous terrains with litte room for 125 mil population, Japan is much worse than Korea. Korea is still pretty normal and better compared to Japan in the terms of the survival.
"I... don't give a f***"... That delivery is the most factual, determined and yet sweet I've ever heard. I'll try to say it like this everytime I'll get to think that from now on.
As a Korean living abroad, I was almost crying at the end of this video. I express my gratitude for making videos that match my thoughts and for being able to spread them to many people through your influence. I hope that Korea will now become a healthy country, not just a rich country.
I lived in the United States until I was 9 years old and lived in Korea since. It was good to answer the questions that I felt vaguely when I first came to Korea. Korea is a very contradictory and strong attractive place. There are many problems with collectivism, but at the same time, the power to overcome is also strong. Even though I was young, it was a contraindication atmosphere to ask the question of the school's education, but now it has changed a lot. I will try to change more. Thank you for making this meaningful video!
이 덧글이 더 수치스럽다 단순히 서양인들은 선, 한국은 악 이런 색안경 잣대 끼고 영상을 보니까 안보이는 건데 서양인들 스몰토크에선 외모에 대해서 절대 얘기 안하고, 서양인들은 지성과 논리로만 대화하고 이런 줄 아냐 결국 어떤 나라가 선이냐 아니냐를 떠나서 정확하게 맞는 만큼만 평가해야지 저 정도면 무례한 외모 칭찬이나 비판도 아니지 미국 방송 제대로 본 적이나 있음?
I am a high school student who was born in Korea. Everyone here studies for 12 years from the first grade of elementary school to the third grade of high school. Most of them start earlier than that. These days, kindergarten-based private academies and kindergarten students prepare for medical schools before they think about the world they want to live in, because their parents don't know much about the world. I still think that the important thing for teenagers is their view of the world and their various experiences. However, the reality is different. You have to endure the pressure that you didn't even experience in the past, the desire to play, the exercise, etc. due to the set period of study. If you exercise, you also have to develop your physical strength to study. When you go to high school, you write down a portfolio like the first year and complete it for three years in high school, and then enter college based on the content and school grades. At this time, you have to write all the activities you do in school in relation to your career hope, and there is an academy that helps you write such a portfolio. Also, the cost of the academy is huge. I think such education in Korea will cause a wider gap between the rich and the poor. Most students these days don't think deeply about their career path and think that they should definitely go to college, and most of their friends who are good at studying want to pursue medicine. Jobs like doctors and dentists are expensive. Meanwhile, I thought I didn't know why I should go to college in my country. I'm still a teenager who hasn't had much experience, and I didn't think it was worth investing in because it would cost me a lot of money to decide on a department and go to college. Later, later than others, but when I had something I wanted to study for, I wanted to go to college. If I fail college at the age of 19, I will be treated as a failure. Even though I am a broken teenager, my dream is to travel around the world. But that means a lot of adults are interfering with other people's lives, such as how they will make money and need to have money to get married in the future. At first, I thought I would make the right mistake and others would get caught up in this world. I knew what I really wanted was to travel around the world, and I believed that I would be happy with the process even if I had a part-time job that wasn't a full-time job. However, it is really upsetting to find myself getting ingrained in this society. Success and failure are divided in teenagers, and if they don't get married on time, pressure from people around them will arise, and the heads of households will have to earn a certain amount of money, compete in new jobs again, and if they don't have children, I think it is natural that Korea has high suicide rates and depression levels. However, no one is trying to change. As a Korean, I want everyone to look back, not just ahead.
you're looking at the extremes buddy, south korea is not depressing, the people just have high-ass standards, you could go live in any area that isn't Seoul and getting a job and buying a house would be 100 times easier and actually doable in terms of house prices. marriage would be possible, as would children. but people insist on staying in Seoul, if you don't study, you don't study. sure it's more intense than any other western country- but that being said any country has students who study very hard. a shit ton of Korean students do not study hard. they just attend a lot of private lessons/tutors etc. doesn't mean that they study a lot or are super-smart. people with superstitions will say to go to college and to get married etc, but the thing is nowadays people don't ask that as much, and if you do you're just rude/old/uneducated. the students preparing at age 5, 6, 7 or at a young age? that's only the really rich people, and so that's a really really small minority of kids. compared to other countries like india, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines i think korea is a way better country to live in on AVERAGE. compared to the states the people aren't open, extremely racist, and don't really care for others as much with a community vibe as western countries, but to say korea is depressing without giving an objective point of view is unfair. it's a shit country. the laws in particular and the judges/lawyers/politicians aren't great at all. i still hate korea even though i was born here. but give it a fair point of view when judging it.
SOUTH KOREA IS SO F4KE SIR ! 🤮 MY INDIA IS BETTER ! 🤗🇮🇳🥰 🇮🇱THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗
Great video, Mark. Please make more like this one and the recent Portugal one. You do such a great job of getting deep into the topics that I always leave it well informed and educated on something new and important. Thanks!
외모도 완벽해야 하고, 옷도 멋지게 입어야 하고 피부관리, 자기관리 철저히 하며 연예인 부러워 하며 비교경쟁하고, 일도 잘 해야 하고 자녀 교육도 잘 해야 하고..합법화된 중독, 커피 중독자가 됨. 객관적인 시선으로 저를 뒤돌아 보게 되었습니다. 한국인으로서의 자부심도 크지만 냉철한 시야의 좋은 영상 감사합니다❤
Koreans are some of the most resilient and warm hearted people I have ever met; please do not take pride in others using you as a workhorse though, they don’t love you
@@websitemartianIm Korean. You know what? yeah. this isnt exactly false. if everyone looks completely different, its hard to "compare" one another in terms of looks. Korea is a single race country, hence making us look alike with each other. thus making it more susceptible to peer pressure and comparing
What an amazing video. I have actually been to Korea last year and it is an amazing country. So good to see you zoom in on the "dark" side of this country. Really seems like being a country thats so awesome, kind and hard working comes at a price to the people living there. Love to Korea and you Mark!
I'm a Korean who immigrated to America after college. 3 minutes into this video I realized I'm living the South Korean life even in another continent not because I was forced to but because I volunteered to literally grind myself to excel at work. My biggest challenge while working in the Western corporate environment has been having to work at other people's pace.. Because I wouldn't let emails sit in the inbox for longer than 12 hours, I don't want any dirt on my career, don't wanna take the blame when things go wrong against my wishes whereas my colleagues take that morning coffee and take a full hour lunch outside the office. So I definitely overwork myself and I know it. I just can't help the way i am. It's been helping me progress but at the same time I'm aware this isn't sustainable in the long run. It gets tough when I can't even have the time to seek assistance in mental healthcare although I could. I'll eventually give myself a break but I realize I really need to look after my mental health. Thank you for covering South Korea with clear insights. Very impressive I am now subscribing your channel!
Great story. But you really need to stop working so hard. You are giving a bad example for the corps what to expect from workers. We don't want to turn into SK 😂
As a westerner living in east Asia, I did experience all the pressure at work which has end up with a burn out. But I did manage to go over it and learn my way of handling pressure, simply go with life flow, especially I realized one thing, we all keep thinking “after I do this I will feel that”, but the reality it’s we should be living in the present. the energy is real.
I suggest a more concrete gradual approach. I work full throttle in the office. But I take the hour lunch. After eating, I go to shops, but don't buy, or a beautiful church, read in the church garden, etc.. I must plan carefully for my brisk walk back to the office to be on time. I also take super mini breaks by having some clean snack and tea at the desk, so I have to look up to take a bite or sip. This is subject to bosses allowing food, but it does make you slow down a bit. Sign up for yoga or other active class once a week to start. Don't be available for overtime, because you have a class. Good luck.
Your effort will pay you back probably more in the US than Korea. You are doing the right thing. If others around you don’t grind as much then why do they drink and do drugs more than you? Don’t stop. Feel free to slow down temporarily but keep going. Fighting!
what i find is the most important 'quality' to have and that will help your career in western workplaces is knowing whose bum to kiss and suck up to, social manoeuvring, being likeable...if anything, if westerner colleagues see you work hard and do better than them, they will resent you.
hey i'm the psychologist in the video. 영상에 나온 심리학자입니다! ㅎㅎ 한국의 사회적 문제에 대해 더 구체적으로 설명하고 싶었지만.. 영어가 부족해서 저렇게 이야기 할 수밖에 없었답니다😂😂 나머지 이야기들은 영어 설명을 잘하는 분들께 부탁드리겠습니다🙇♀️
교포입니다. 영어가 부족하시다뇨! 넘 잘해주셨습니다. 꼭 알려져야 할 주제였고 인터뷰에 응해주셔서 감사합니다 댓글에 박사님 mad cool이라고 적혀있네요 👍👍 한국 사회가 박사님 말씀처럼 내일이든 일주일 뒤든 끝내버리고 싶은 나라가 아니라 앞으로가 더 기대되고 행복하게 더 살고 싶어지는 나라의 방향으로 갔으면 합니다.
Wow could've easily watched a whole series of your experiences in Korea! Your insights into Korea's cultural and educational landscape really resonated with me. Being Korean American, I feel a deep sense of pride in the strong work ethic inherent in my heritage. I'm also grateful to have grown up in America where I had a chance to express my individuality. The blend of Korean resilience and American freedom has instilled in me a confidence that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.
As a native Korean, i can confirm that he addressed Korean society really well. I always welcome foreign viewpoint of our culture because it promp me to reassess the culture i am living in. Thank you for the documentation :)
Me living in central EU: i can't belive how much pressure already starting from childhood to go trough bc of a failed society. As exemple, Elementary school kids have 4-5hrs school per day. I rather choose time for myself over other people's opinions / beeing judged for "failures". Got time for my own, pursue personal interests, meet people having fun instead of beeing a slave working 100hrs per week to be able to buy the newest gucci goods selling you on a 1.000% profit marge ^
I'm 100% korean who has seen korea in the eyes of a half foreigner, and a korean. I've lived in America for 6 years, and for the rest of my life, I've lived in Korea. I tend to think differently than my classmates. Maybe it's because I was raised in america. I've been through depression and self harm as well before. Not a surprise. Korea is safe, and it's comfortable. I'll admit it. No guns, no gender or sexuality wars. We have an amazing environment, a lot of things to learn and see, and a ton of culture and excitement. Then, why do koreans get so easily depressed in korea? Is the country the problem? It's mostly the socializing. Yes, the government and people around you pressuring to succeed and work are stressful as well. Very much. Studying is harx, and success is hard. Yet, what makes it so hard are the people. They pressure you. Especially if your job is related to human interactions. They knock you down, they tackle you, they humiliate you. The fact that you can stay anonymous on the internet does not help. There's a reason why I don't like to interact with koreans online. It's a total mess. Racism, perfectionists attacking you... It's not great. Although it's what makes korea so safe and uncontroversial, it's suffocating when it's a subject like race, feminism, or appearance. A quick note on racism, I was literally just talking to my friend on the phone and two little boys started mocking me.. I'm korean though.. the kids in my class mock my pronouncation. Yet, foreigners say I don't even sound korean. "People are rude here too." "Korea's social system isn't special. It's not a special problem." Go ahead and say that. Just understand that we are always pressured. We never feel free. Besides, the topic is korea, not your country😅 Thank you for reading.❤
I am Brazilian, my wife is korean and by the exorbitant prices of the apartments, we live here in Korea with her parents. By the apartments prices and the working pace, Korea has got the lowest Birthrate in the world (0,70). This video is really important to raise awareness of this topic. We decided to start our lives here by the safety. But it is quite sad that children until teenagers don't play around, dont do any sports... when we leave the gym (9-10pm), the floor above is an academy (study support), they are all there until this time. I am 30, and I suffered depression in my childhood, and I have ADHD. When I mention it round here that I am going to the psychologist, and after therapy, they don't understand because it is quite unusual here. It concerns a lot the future here... we really hope that society changes. Korean people are so kind and nice. As they are so resilient and strong, I am sure they will overcome this situation well. They deserve more
Why don't we raise "awareness" about the rampant murder and homelessness in Brazil, along with serious drug problems? Come on man, anyone can do a video of the things wrong with any country and make it look bad. On a world scale the truth is South Korea is one of the best places to live where it is safe and quality of living is a LOT better then most countries, including Brazil where poverty is very common.
@@jerrygreen9985 I speak facts. Of all the countries in this world where there isn't even running water or proper sanitation, or where women can't even be seen in public without a hijab covering their heads (with severe consequences) or countries where there are constant ongoing wars and even America with all the school shooting, out of control crimes, rotting educational system, drug epidemics, etc, etc, and yet Mark Manson delusionally says, "South Korea is the most depressed place in the world." I seriously question his intelligence and logic. And even more his authenticity and motive.
@@Hqmptynpw wtf are you saying? he's comment is just about the same topic as the video itself, in the video the autor mentioned the benefits of the south korea society a dozen times, but the focus is the MENTAL HEALTH problems that this society suffers from very young age, stop trying to distort the topic to shade away the problems that your country has and shame other's
@@denian17 My American friend, you're not understanding the gist of what I'm saying. When Mark Manson starts off and titles his video, "South Korea is the most depressive country in the world." It's so false and misleading, I'm not even sure where to begin with his ridiculous assumptions. What metrics & stats is he using to validate his ludicrous claims? My point being, if I put up a video talking about how terrible America is to live and then proceed to discuss all the homelessness, drug infested cities where used needles abound in local streets where children walk to school, where criminals run rampant without regards for the law (because corrupt politicians & radical DA's wont arrest them) school and mass public shootings on a monthly basis, a broken education system where kids in the inner cities graduate high school and can't read nor do elementary math, psychological issues far greater then any other nation, etc, etc....... I can really do a scathing portrayl of America and how it would "be the worst country to live in" and you would probably say to yourself, "Wow, that is going over board with some misleading narratives." And you would probably also say, "I guess this idiot hasn't lived in other countries where women can't even go out in public without a head covering (most of Middle East Muslim nations) or people don't even have clean running water immediately available (most African nations, India, Latin America) or super inflation where most people in Europe, even in wealthier countires like Germany, UK, France can't afford to eat meat on a consistent basis or have difficult times paying for their utility bills because it's so expensive, etc, etc. Come on now, this is how negative stereotypes and generalizations that Westeners, especially American media & Hollywood have always done to put down, discredit and negatively stereotype Asian countries and Asians in general. I speak facts.
I am a 30-years old Korean living in Seoul. I lived in New Zealand and Australia in my childhood and came to Korea to study in a high school. The pressure on high school students is so immense and crazy. Probably many of the students taking Sooneung(Korean College Scholastic Ability Test/Korean University Entrance Exam) might have some traumatic memories. Even reaching my 30s, I still had a dream of the day that I screwed up my test. It really sucks. 😞
@@나-StarWars 그렇게 쉽게 말씀하시는걸 보니 공감능력이 좀 떨어지시는 분인것 같습니다. 우선 왜 쳐야할까요? 더이상 보고싶지도 않습니다. 돈은 그냥 하늘에서 내려오나요? 돈이 아주 많은 동네의 부잣집이면 가능하겠죠, 재수든 n수든요. (그걸 한국인들이 그렇게 외쳐대는 의지의 문제라고 한다면 할말이 없네요) 저는 삶을 살아나가야하는 사람이기에, 거기에 들어가는 돈도 무시할수 없는 것 같습니다. 그리고 회사 생활을 위해서라면 더더욱 하고 싶지도 않구요, 한국에서는 회사생활을 더이상 하지 않을 생각이기 때문입니다. 그리고 저는 이제 석사마치고 박사를 고민하는 상황이라 더더욱 수능은 칠 생각이 없네요.
This was a great read. Thank you for putting this together. Now I have a better understanding of the history and why the people are the way they are. I do hope the younger people can push for change and create a more healthier and a more balanced outlook on life.
This video was an experiment with a different format/style. Let me know if you would like to see me do more of them.
P.S.: Feeling so blessed to have eyes like Hugh Grant.
I couldn't decide wether I was looking at a high-level production documentary or a Mark Manson video. The bit at the end showed me that this crossover definitely kicks ass. Loved this format!
More! Loved the video.
I liked it a lot and I am definitely down for more Markumentaries if you are enjoying making them
I loved it! Thank you! I’d watch more of these mini docos!!
I think this is a very great video you did. Cannot wait to see more of it. Best wishes from Germany!
as a born and raised Korean, 'having the worst mix of Confucianism and capitalism' is the most on-point statement of Korean society
I concur~ Korea sucks
Feels awful to hear, more so perhaps because in someway in someday even the best of us may have felt that kind of pressure..a while with it already feels so depressive so to live with that feeling for all the life 😢 ..hope with this new generation's open minds towards the issue the things will be better and soon... Support to all
Absolutely!
with no doubt. confusius is an idiot
💯
I taught in Korea for four months, when I quit I told my boss I’m not suicidal yet but this place is definitely pushing me in that direction. My boss responded “be strong, think of what you’re doing to the company, many people live in this city. Why are you special?” Also my students were more burned out at 14 then anyone I’ve ever met outside korea.
woaw ☹😔
I admire many things about Korea, but there are (as in every country) really bad sides, and one of them is how children and teenagers are drilled - its dystopical. They are robbed of all the joy time which is sooo important for their development and mental health - its child abuse, really (my parents treated me very similar, although I grew up in the west, and it cost me almost all basics of happiness, its a wonder I did not commit sui-de)
Your boss was gaslighting you. Well done leaving the company before it affected you negatively. 👏
That's not insane
True, left after 15 months. It was the toughest and most stressful time of my life
Can you please create Korean subtitles for this video so Koreans can watch it? Im a korean and i would love to have my parents watch this. This was so helpful. Thank you so much, Mark!!!
I second this idea ☝️
Trying to help this get to the top. Good idea
Commenting to bump this comment!
Yes please, Korean subtitles would be great
👏👏👏
I lived in Korea for a little over seven years, teaching for the EPIK Program. From my first year, I saw all the signs of a country emotionally and psychologically going downhill, and there were already issues with the younger generation being financially insecure. I did the best I could as an English teacher and told them that the best I can do is teach them English so that they would at least have one other choice to leave the country if they couldn't take it anymore. My time there was rough. There were a lot of great times, but it was mostly rough.
I did EPIK for a year too, this was back about 9 years ago. I was in a very small county in the south of the country. I agree, and most of my friends my age there tell me the same stuff. You either find a niche where you can be just ok in, knowing you're not special, or get out and carve your own path.
Majority of my Korean friends envy America not because the culture or politics or food is "better" but at least you can be who you want to be and be accepted and find success yourself, without getting beaten into the ground from day 1.
Yeah, the thing is that they don't believe they can have another option. I'm colombian living in Japan (6 years) and I realized that I didn't know what loneliness was until I came here, despite knowing japanese I don't talk more than a sentence in my work every day... Of course I got my PhD and that's the end, I'll leave this place by September. I've been able to reach this point because I knew I could go back to my country where my family supports me, if not I don't know what could have happened to me, specially during the pandemic.
Ya, I would wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. I was with GEPIK. I enjoyed my time in Korea as a foreigner. It's rough when you see the harsh reality for your Korean friends. I think they were very nice people but boy oh boy does their country have a lot of problems. :(
All male dominant countries are a mess.
i did hagwon for 2 years and it was hell. horrible culture there
I'm Korean. "If you get your shit together, you don't have to suffer from depression or anxiety" - that's what my mom told me all my life, being depressed herself for decades.
Changes nothing. I've seen a successful Korean man and his friends they're all depressed. I've lived in Korea forn10 years and I'll never forget how depressed I've been throughout. I had no pressure on me, money has been useless to the core! Robotic lifestyles ugh
Your mom's advice doesn't seem very helpful. But I think your country's medical health care system needs to be fully addressing mental health problems publicly not privately. It also needs to be discussed among Korean governments and medical Healthcare establishments in every news media, including internet news.
@@Dachshunds5ngl a country where they give importance to looks more than talent is gonna be depressing. I won’t be able to survive there. The constant judgement from everyone is gonna make me suicidal.
The best thing for koreans to learn is, "I don't give a fuck" on the _extraordinary_ expectations of my boss/parents/friends. I litteraly mean it. Chill more, let the preassure go from time to time and start living more socially focused. Every day has 24 hours and you should do 8 hours of _good_ sleep, a _maximum_ of 8 hours work where you can give 200% if you like, and 8 hours of _something socially else_ (and a little bit of workout). That will inevitably lead to more happyness and less anxiety.
@@tldw8354 The thing is Koreans can't afford themselves, so they have to work 15 hours a day. No time to sleep. Or it's simply expected of you to push yourself beyond limits to prove yourself to the company. You can say IDGAF in Europe where people don't wanna work past 3pm (seriously, that's rush hour in Slovenia), but the way South Korea is structured doesn't allow you to put your feet on the desk and ignore boss' phone calls.
And Korean social hierarchy can only make it worse when people on the lower end have to constantly bow to someone who looks down on them.
As a Korean reaching 60, I feel that one of the biggest problems with Korea's education system is the intense pressure placed on students. From age 5-6 to until 19, they are focused solely on entering one of the top universities (SKY). While doing so, almost everyone tells these kids that entering a good university will guarantee them a prosperous and happy life, with good money, a good job, and even success in dating. However, the reality is much different. Once they enter university, the competition continues - to get into good companies, land well-paying jobs... it's an endless cycle of competition and comparison with friends, family members, colleagues, and neighbors. I believe this trend will continue for at least another 10-15 years, until the older generation retires. While Korea is in a transitional period, I fear things will get worse before they get better.
Instead of everyone striving to become "someone" special, we need to understand that it's okay to fail, to be average, and to simply be normal. Young people need to be freed from the constant pressure and unrealistic expectations imposed by parents, society, and the media.
beautifully said 👏
Yes but if you fail, it will be much harder to participate in Korea’s ‘economic miracle’ and develop a career in the Chaebol’s, in Western level jobs, earning Western level salaries. All the markets, small mom and pop stores alluded to in this video serve Korea’s ‘underclass’ of people who live middle income lifestyles, akin to those in much poorer countries like Mexico. This contrast is much starker than in the West. In the UK, you can earn middle professional manager salaries by learning a trade, like being a plumber. That isn’t the case in Korea, you’d earn far less. A professional outside a Chaebol would earn maybe a half to two thirds what the same person doing the same job inside a Chaebol would, the tradesman even less than that.
Plus traditionally in Confucian culture, your status in society determined how the laws applied to you. There was no concept of universal human rights, it was not a dignity culture where each person had ‘worth’ protected in law regardless of who they were or what they did. Park Jung Hee realised a system like this wouldn’t sustain a modern industrialised society, so copied Western legal systems to encourage industry. However, these institutions became an overlay on old Confucian feudal legal systems and their values sustained in culture. Witness what happens to Chaebol leaders who fall foul of the law. Prosecuted under the Western legal overlay, then pardoned by the President, because their status makes them above the law. Status pays, opens doors, determines who you can associate with, which is important in a 2 speed society dominated by Chaebols. Sure this sort of thing exists everywhere but its really exaggerated in Korea compared to the West.
You can’t understand modern Korea without understanding the Chaebol system, there are interesting video’s on youtube about this.
totally agreed
Same thing is happening in China. Chinese journalists are sadly comparing both countries. Hope both east Asian countries can improve in positive way, and younger generation can have a better and balanced way to enjoy the economic growth.
I live in Ethiopia, I have worked with several Korens and most are older and whenever I point out these problems they tend to be defensive and avoid the conversation. It is a good start that the younger generation is aware of the issues.
I think Ethiopia vs Koreans are like opposites. I've worked with Ethiopians for business and they never showed up at the time they chose - they literally showed up 1 day late. I told them I won't move on with them. One is too relaxed, and the other is dying for work
@@jojomythe that's right! I gotta admit that we are laid back people in general, the huge difference in the work culture makes it easier for us to notice how their system messed them up (not defending Ethiopians)
you can not address this. This is not your problem.
Were they South Koreans?
I thought Ethiopia was hiring North Korean workers
@@jojomythe yes, that is true......
This video is really amazing and so touching. I am Korean and I lived in another country for several years. My explanation to this emotional and mental crisis of Korea is a long lasting PTSD prevailing in the entire country, which is passing down several generations. As you said in the video, it started by Japanese colonization and Korean war. Everyone who survived, veterans, victims and their family and friends, was actually half way dead in the situation. There was no love, no friendship, no justice left, and they even laught at it when someone talks about things that don't make you survive. This might permanently damaged the brains of all of the people. Children grown up under those mentally injured parents learn the same traits, merciless competition and survival. I am the third generation after the war. My parents were not mentally healthy (for me to see), and that was because of the grandparents. My grand father was physically (and also mentally...) disabled, because he was sent to WWII and forced to work. Many of his neighbors and relatives couldn't come back. I was told that my grand father used to beat my grand mother a lot, and also the kids. At that time there was no word for PTSD, and he was seen as a normal person because everyone else was doing the same. I can say he was not mentally healthy based on current standards, but people like him was so many at that time. My fathers generation did enormous amount of hard work because they were living in the fear. 'Getting 100 or fail' kind of mindset is to survive in the fearful surrounding world. It is inherited PTSD. I say I am also affected. My family and friends are the same. I realized it when I interacted with American freinds, but Korean people in Korea just cannot recognize it. I agree with the Korean psychologist in the video. She said it is promising. I also see it is slowly being healed. The scar was made during about 40 years of period, but it will take much more time to cure, more than 100 years. We are half way there.
My heart goes out to yall. Generational PTSD is a REAL thing. Wanting to be the best and wanting to be effective for a lot of Koreans is rooted In fear . Being so terrified of being vulnerable or becoming victim to another group again. I'm American and my ancestors were oppressed for hundreds of years here. Being oppressed for so long and being punished everything we tried to create our own or fight back created a hopeless mentality. It created low self esteem. It has been proven that we inherit our ancestors traumas and its so obvious nwhen you see how people operate today. I really respect that you have noticed the issue and that you want to heal it. I'm trying to heal mines as well.
Generational trauma in the works
I’m a genZ that lives in South K and this video really means a lot to me. Thank you so much for making this video.
South korea is clean, polite, feminine, developed country, everything is fast in south korea. the bad things are lookism, kpop, education system, materialism
I am a Korean in my 50s.
I read an introduction to this video in a newspaper article.
There is no major financial shortage, but I have always lived with guilt and anxiety.
I've thought it was entirely my personal responsibility, but I've come to understand that there are parts that come from the structure of society.
It's a little comforting.
The story about the resilience of the closing part was touching. Thank you.
영어를 잘하네요!
I'm a Korean in my late 30's. I felt the same feelings with you. I got a professional job and have no special social problem, but I've lived with guilt and anxiety for whole my life.
@@초쿄볼 Anxiety is too common, and a problem in the west too. What is the source of the guilt though, do you know?
built to spill --- carry the zero
th-cam.com/video/eZ7MFTBjJS8/w-d-xo.html
I've had anxiety issues in my 20's, but I've learned along the way that those feelings aren't equal to who I am as a person. It's the result of a combination of being perceptive of negative feelings but mostly due to what we went through in our lives from a young age on. After university I realised something was wrong. I started working abroad to get to know myself outside of what I know. It opened my eyes to certain things and I learned how to control my anxiety. You can also surmount your guilt and anxiety, don't give up on yourself
This man is an absolute treasure in content creation. Mark's channel definitely has one of the most underrated content on the internet. The combination of humour and education (psychology, history) with sheer openness was translated into a beautiful emotional roller coaster ride throughout this video.
Since none of it is news anymore he could take the time to make it entertaining and about Korea and Koreans and not just one thing (as news tend to do). I'm a fan🙂
Been a newsletter subscriber of his for over a decade. I agree he’s always been that way. And i subscribe to ALOT of stuff but his was always the best because he’s an incredible writer.
Yo star craffttt, k ya this guy is dope
Stop brown nosing he can't get you a job at Samsung bro.
1.4 M subs is underrated if so I would be happy to be so underrated
The Kpop group BTS released a MV called N.O years ago about students and the harsh school system in Korea. It's well done and gives a voice to the youth. The leader of the group RM explained, that he was one of the top students in Korea but decided to be a rapper. His mom threw his computer and mic away because she wasn't pleased about his decision. And it's true. The people starts getting depressed in early age also because of the school system. They're taught to be always the best and to be the most successful. This is the most important thing for them. Another thing they're focused is the Korean beauty standarts. People that doesn't fit theses standarts are bullied or not successful no matter how good their grades are.
God forbid if ur not fair . They r particular about skin . Its always lookism
No mention about maintaining "perfect godlike image" requirement to those who are successfull.
Every Korean in this video is stunningly beautiful.
This content is GOLD, Mark. I was born and raised in Korea, and I was one of those kids who cry after getting 90 out of 100 on an exam. I think the biggest problem is that we’re made too busy and obsessed with achieving the *stereotypical* success to care about anything else. Most schools, parents, and media don’t talk about mental health, so we’re simply oblivious to the state of our mental health. We don’t even know we’re depressed.
it's because the east asian mentality especially, sees perseverance and tolerating a lot as some kind of badge of honour and good trait, which i can see how it is a good thing in some respects in this rollercoaster called life. but what happens when you reach breaking point and burn out? where is the support and empathy?
the one good thing that has remained in east and SE asian cultures is the reverence for the elderly and closeness of the family unit and extended family. that's the thing that i think western cultures (although there are still some traditional western cultures, more in central and eastern europe) are lacking. without this, you can feel like a bit of a lost soul without being connected to anything. it can elicit a feeling of emptiness. hyper individualism and the "it's all about me, me, me" mentality is increasing in the west.
on the other hand, it would be a problem if you have a toxic and abusive family. i guess it's about the yin and yang, which comes from chinese influence and the symbol features on the korean flag. there needs to be balance in everything.
i think that historically until now, asian cultures place such an emphasis on academics because that's how people earned respect and status in their societies. it's a bit of a conundrum in the age of kpop, OF and social media celebrities. there are actual alternate routes to become 'successful' more than ever now and it's been made possible through technology.
why arent koreans competing to have babies LOL
I would like to you to read about Islam, it will help you to put the staff in place
i SWEAR TO GOD, can koreans STOP freakin sending their 5 to 18 year old kids to academy, like seriously just stop ok@@lowkeyconvert8971
In India too bro. We kids r shamed for scoring even 93/100. We shd be scoring minimum of 98-99 out of 100. It's insane.
영상 보다가 양브로님들이 마크 맨슨님을 앉혀두고 K-외모평가를 시전하시는 부분 보고 놀랐습니다. 한국을 살기 힘들게 만드는 것이 바로 개인에 대한 바운더리를 쉽게 넘나드는 것이고 그중 대표적인 현상이 외모평가를 쉽게 하는 문화라고 생각하는데요, 마치 시연이라도 하시듯 그것을 하시는 게 보기 좋지 않았습니다. 다른 사람들도 아니고 정신과 의사분들이 그러시니 무척이나 놀랐습니다. 아무리 끝이 칭찬으로 끝났을지라도 무례하게 보였습니다. 저 분들도 나름 우리나라를 정신적으로 풍요롭게 하려고 노력하시는 분들인데도 한국의 큰 문화적 분위기에 스며든 것은 거스를 수 없는 걸까요. 여러가지 생각이 드는 장면이었습니다.
저 사람들 병원 약만 처방해주고 다른거 없어요
결국 의사도 국평오테크타고 입시해서 의사 되시는거라
양브로도 이 댓글도 한국이 낳은 괴물이다
@@밝은하루-v5i 전 캐나다사는데 여기는 외모 특히 얼굴로 남을 평가하는건 되게 무례한 경우임
@@밝은하루-v5i갑분 이걸 한국인이 하냐 외국인이 하냐로 몰아가는 로직이 더 웃긴데ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 하지 말아야 할 칭찬도 있답니다 그 외모 칭찬이 이 영상에서 말하는 한국을 우울케 하는 점 중 하나라고 몇몇 댓글에서 얘기하는건데 참 ㅋㅋㅋ 3개월 여행왔다 가셨으니 개인영역 침범이 뭔지 이해는 안되겠지
I made Korean friends when they came over to the UK to study postgraduate law at a prestigious university. When we started getting our grades back, they were HORRIFIED not to get 100%, and I had to explain many times that no UK professor would even give 100% so chill and after a while, they did relax. They were the most gorgeous people ever, and I grew to love them very much, and I miss each and every one of them ❤
Wow! How do you expect perfect scores in postgraduate courses?
@@hassan_codesthat’s just what they drill into your head in Korea. Even on their “Korean SAT” aka seunung, not getting 100% can mean no prestigious university and then no good job etc.
They're not African. That's how. Some cultures actually embrace perfection. @@hassan_codes
What happened to them?
They all committed suicide?
Materialism is poison,and the problem is that everything getting more expensive and jobs are becoming more competitive and studying hours also jumped so high it's very sad, not only South Korea has this problem many countries do too
The alarming suicide rate among seniors really got me. How absolutely heartbreaking.
And the teenagers and young people…
Agree. If you're a senior, that is totally heartbreaking. Like... what was it all for?
As a youth, it's terrifying. Like.... what am I looking forward to? Decades of work with in a tunnel with no end or light in sight.
@adhynugroho9424 well put... helplessness and hopelessness
It has to do with what mark said in the previous travel analysis.
If like let's say Brazil is great for it's sensuality, the opposite is also true.
And it's like that for every country you visit.
Korea is conscientious but when you lose productivity then what is the meaning of life. In essence you are a shame unto yourself.
It's logical, given eastern values.
@@thebettybassettproduction2458wtf is eastern values????
10:17 LOL As Korean I think this conversation really explains the lookism in Korean society. People think it's a natural thing to talk about other's appearance and make compliment like that. This is wrong.
As a Korean I can't agree more!
The ironic and sad fact is that they are psychiatrists who are quite trying to make this country a better place
What's wrong with giving compliments? I think the problem may be that Koreans criticize everything too much. There is nth wrong with giving compliments 😅
I heard that Korea's most important day is the college entrance tests day, it blew my mind. Airports would shut down and everybody gets into a very serious tone. That's how competitive Korea's education is.
China is totally the same, even worse
Yeah that's pretty standard with most Asian countries.
@@victorchen9170noooo, only Korea. My country did not shut down airport just for big exam in my country 😂
This is the exact situation in China.
@@victorchen9170lol what? where did u get that info from
23:40 This will be my life attitude from now on. I'm Korean, both the video and her words helped me a lot. Thanks.
As a Korean, the pros and cons of my country are evident.
It's a heaven for a consumer, which means manifold and convenient services are surprising and satisfying enough to sustain your life here.
But the reason why it is regarded a hell is that YOU NEED TO CONTRIBUTE to this system as a worker/service provider/students as well.
Addition to my comment : Some Koreans also talk about "lookism" but I think it's quite hypocritical because these days in the modern world, other countries are not free from evaluation toward appearances. In this sense, we, Koreans denigrate ourselves in an imprecise way because of the stress they got somewhere.
The conclusion should not be like Oh you must leave Korea or No you must live in Korea.
We need to be objective to understand the true pros and cons.
"_"😢😢
This is Why tourist loves Korea. Because They don’t work in Korea.
Can’t be a consumer without spending power, so you have to be a employee of some sort. Full circle achieved.
Absolutely right.
@CaL-76 i suppose the guys best off are the big business owners, though I think even thats not true
Despite putting in hard work and graduating from a university in Seoul, I felt defeated by the high barriers to employment, leading to the development of depression and anxiety, which I am currently undergoing treatment for. I watched the video with deep empathy as someone going through similar struggles.
While receiving psychiatric therapy, the disheartening view from my parents, perceiving me as a weak and disappointing individual, along with their harsh words, and the ongoing job failures, make each day of job preparation a struggle. I find myself lacking the motivation to continue, feeling helpless, and overwhelmed with thoughts of wanting to end my life.
Amidst this, I'm glad to have come across a video that explains these reasons. Although thoughts of suicide haven't completely vanished, the guilt of being deemed useless by society and achieving disappointing results has slightly lessened. Just realizing that my situation is, in fact, a societal responsibility provides significant comfort.
warm hugs to you from the usa. i hope you can find someone who understands you & your trials & accepts you without judgment. the world is complex; and you have shown much courage in seeking help.
Paiting!!
High expectations can be a debilitating feeling when we don't meet those expectations.
힘내세요. 젊은 청춘이여.
취직하기 어려운 사회인거 같아요.. 막상 전 취직은 했지만 월급은 적고 책임은 무한이리 살기 팍팍함을 느낍니다.
전혀 글쓰신분의 잘못이 아닙니다. 꾸준히 산책하시고 쉬시면서 몸과 마음 회복하시길 바랍니다.
Great documentary, Mark! More of
this please!
North Korea : 1984
South Korea : Cyberpunk 2077
19:09 요약 진짜 정확하네요
모두를 이겨야 하고, 누구보다 잘나야 하며, 한번이라도 실패해서는 안되지만 누구와도 공유할 수 없는 상황에서 얼마나 버틸 수 있을까요. 점점 개개인에게 기본으로 요구하는 사회적-정서적-물질적 수치가 다양해지고, 그 수준 또한 높아지고 있으니 이것에 지쳐 떨어져나가고 있는 사람들이 많답니다.
어떻게 보면 정말 엄격한 선별작업을 통해 최상의 몇몇 제품만 팔고 나머지는 버려버리는 장사방식이네요 ㅋㅋ
나쁜관점아닌뜻 개인적 과업과 국가가 어려움에 처해도 우리는 웃으며 일하며 나라를 위해 받친 애국시민입니다
@@가-h4v 그게 애국시민이라고 해석하고 내뱉는 너도 진짜 대단하네.. 초등학교부터 다시 들어가라
@@70tist 잘살려면 공부많이해야함 그래야나라가 발전하지자력갱샌 1억불달성목표를 두고달려야 부자국가 푸른동산위에 놉니다 논땡이치고 하면 폐가망신이란걸 알고 보수정당을위해 응원합시다국민의힘만세
@@가-h4v스스로 생각하고 말을 뱉으세요. 한국은 자유민주주의 국가이고 생각없이 기계적으로 무책임하게 뱉는, 방종을 지향하지 않습니다. 국민의힘 만세? ㅋㅋ 어휴
@@justyoon51 국민의힘한나라당 앞으로 윤석열정권철권통치에 영원히 유지되어야 보수정당 새나라어린이도 본받아 반공주의자 됩니다
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ중간에 정신과 의사들 아이스 브레이킹 한답시고 외모평가부터 하고보는... 진짜 한국은 저게 문제입니다. 저런것만 그만해도 사람들 사는데 훨씬 행복해 질거예요... 칭찬한거니까 괜찮다 그럴텐데 외모칭찬도 얼평입니다..그리고 앞부분은 은근슬쩍 욕했잖앜ㅋㅋ음습한 사람들..
ㄹㅇ 영상보다가 그 부분 보고 움찔함; 농담이랍시고 외적인부분 슬쩍 까내리다가 또 나름 칭찬한답시고 "근데 실물이 더 잘생겼네요" ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 외모평가를 재치있는 농담인것마냥 툭툭 하는 부분마저 너무 한국스러움^^ 심지어 정신과 의사들이..ㅋㅋㅋ
저도 외모 칭찬 자주하지만 이건 진짜 좀 놀랐음... ㅋㅋㅋ 자기들은 그걸 선의의 아이스브레킹이라고 생각했을껀데 외국에선 그런 평가질 자체를 초면에 조크로도 잘 안하는편인데 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 자기들은 그것에 대한 전혀 인식이 없다는거 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 한국이 평가질이 진짜 좀 심하구나 하던 모먼트 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 남 와꾸도 초면에 바로 조크로 틀어버리는데 평상시는 어떨지 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 당연한거고...
I'm Korean, That was really embarrasing. Even they are psychologist they didn't realize what's wrong with them. I reckon they thought that was a good joking or compliment. That's really rude mention.
와 저도 그부분 진짜 놀랬어요.
다짜고짜 외모평가라니 그래도 정신과 의사라서 기본적인 교양이나 상식은 있을 줄 기대되는건데
이러니까 이 나라가 답이 없는 거예요. 사람을 사람으로 대하는 게 아니라 무슨 상품 평가하듯 하고 있어요. 정말 지겨워요..
I'm Korean but I've been living abroad most of my life. I had no idea that I am culturally not Korean at all until I started dating in Korea. People nonchalantly mention suicidal thoughts, and wanting to run away and quit everything. How casually they deal with severe mental health issues and substance abuse, and even the news of an acquaintance killing themselves, is shocking. or how much they care about optics (as opposed to how much they don't care about what they feel inside).Their societal, cultural issues have been boggling my mind so much so that I've been getting therapy after witnessing this in person. This is such an important topic that needs to be addressed. Thank you for making this into a video.
By in large Koreans are happy and enjoy a solid mental state. In comparison, the familial and social dysfunctions people in the West, namely the U.S., struggle with is far more severe. People like you, who most likely enjoyed a family centered environment even in the U.S., who were mostly sheltered and kept away from having to deal with physical abuse, sexual abuse, divorced parents, alcoholic drugged out siblings, YOU have the luxury of seeing the minor differences between you and Koreans and Korea and are magnifying the impact it's having on you.
I'm Korean born and raised in Korea, and it's baffling to hear anecdotes from people like you and then trying to pass that off as the norm.
I truly question how/who/why you've come to see what you've experienced in Korea. Time to look in the mirror and perhaps evaluate your surroundings.
It is important to recognize and address mental health issues within any society, especially when they are so prevalent and normalized. It is brave of you to seek therapy and confront these issues that affect not only individuals, but the society as a whole. It is crucial to continue discussing and raising awareness about mental health in order to break the stigma and provide support to those who are struggling. Thank you for sharing your experience and shedding light on this important topic.
I think your words sounds a bit harsh.
Which means it sounds like generalizing korean's as if every korean people are casualy talking about suicidal thoughts.
@@JSC-cw8cs You're right, and honestly they are exaggerating and/or embellishing. Or just around a bunch of toxic people.
@@ChristianC-gy1ym its pretty true with koreas gen-z. most of my korean tutors(they change each month) are my age and we talk like a friend would most of the time(execpt for the super serious ones lol). they casually make a joke about wanting to not be alive after they make a small mistake like its normal.
As a 54yr old Korean-American whose lived in the US since 2yrs old and in Korea for the past 20 years, I think I have enough first-hand personal 'lived experience' to have a deep understanding of the problems Korea faces and the differences between issues in Korea and western societies namely the US.
First I'd like to congratulate and applaud you for putting together a very well-researched and accurate video on the topic and which delves deeply enough to point out and present the root causes. There are way too many Gen Z 'tiktalkers' and 'influencers' that try to present such "Why so-and-so..' videos without having a clue as to what they are talking about. Most of them are pretty much just surface level observations they have experienced one or two times or a 'compilation' of talking points they have put together from other peep's videos online, which never fails to get to the root causes.
Regarding this topic at hand, more often than not it usually comes down to something like this, 'Koreans are too materialistic and fake, not to mention so competitive and narcissistic they have unrealistic beauty standards which drives them to be the cosmetic surgery capital of the world. No wonder they get so depressed if they don't think they're number one.. etc. etc.'
It's true, on the surface there's outward materialism, and competitiveness, and all those things mentioned. However, instead of simply writing it off as negative and undesirable traits as viewed in the west, if one takes the time to try and find out the root causes/reasons for such, they would come to understand why Koreans are such-and-such. Also, in many cases they would see that in many, if not most cases, the 'cause and effect' of such personality/character traits are quite different as compared to the west. Much has to do with Confucianist values of group harmony and unity, respect for elders/others, close family, patriarchal norm, etc. along with the fact Korea went from an agrarian society to the 9-10th largest industrialized economy in the world in a few short decades, which was pointed out in your expose, you get a better understanding of the nuances of why these character traits evolved in the society.
The competitive nature in Korea was not only brought on by parents wanting their children to succeed and outdo the Lee's kids, but even the government was pushing for academic advancement and excellence because without that, how else would Korea became a developed country with advance knowledge in industry, technology, academics, research etc. As a result the overseas travel restrictions were lifted after the 88 Seoul Olympics to encourage study abroad and that's when you saw a sudden influx of Koreans going abroad to the US, UK, CN etc. to study in higher education not only for BA but also masters and doctoral programs. They were the ones literally bringing back textbook theoretical knowledge and putting it into real world applications when they returned and became employed, they had no mentor or higher-uppers to train them like you normally would at your job. I noticed one commenter from the UK who said some Korean exchange students were horrified for not receiving a grade of 100. When Koreans exchange students go abroad to study, they're not going there to just get a grade and graduate, they're going there to actually learn in depth as much as they can as they must apply it when they return and find employment. In doing so, they're not only advancing their personal position, they're contributing to the advancement of their company which in turn contributes to the advancement of Korea overall.
People don't realize or know, understandably since Korean history is not taught in the US (Hell, even a lot of American history isn't taught in schools in the US), but not only was Korea invaded and colonialized by Japan from late 1800's until 1945 with their defeat in WW2, but Korea has been invaded countless times throughout centuries by the Manchurians, Mongols, France, and more recently by China and Russia thru their proxy the North, which led to the Korean War in 1950, just 5 years after the Japanese Imperial Army withdrew. Thus, Korea is a very nationalistic and homogenous country, which also makes them very proud of their 'survival skills' having remained a sovereign nation through all that. How many times has the US been attacked / invaded / occupied, or the UK or AUS? It's hard to imagine what it feels like if you've not personally experienced it. Since foreigners don't know Korean history they've historically, and incorrectly, labeled Korea as a racist/xenophobic country. Well if your country has been invaded countless times throughout history wouldn't you have an aversion to outsiders as well? It only makes sense. Also, look at what's happening today in European countries like the UK, DN, FR, SW etc. after they opened up their immigration policies. It's not that Korean's are inherently racist or xenophobic, they understand that an influx or foreigners and their culture would disrupt social order and harmony in the host country, which it seems the West is just now finding out.
Boomers onwards in developed countries have never experienced firsthand invasion, war, foreign occupation, industrialization, hyper-development and technological advancement. Korea has experienced all of these within one generation's time period, 1G. My father's generation, born in 1933, has seen, lived through and experienced all of these. Most post-war westerners couldn't even fathom what it would be like to live through an era with such turmoil and change, fortunately for the better, and the immense pressures, hardships, stress and other burdens it puts on a societal and individual level, through all areas of society, also coupled with the values of Confucianism you have a recipe for disaster if not managed well (which you pointed out).
I just wanted to add a little more, my two cents worth, in terms of context because to truly understand a country, you really need to have a deeper understanding of it's historical, cultural, religious etc. aspects as they are all inter-influential in shaping a society. Many young people do not understand this as they lack 'life experience', but yet think they know it all.
Take 'materialism' for example, unlike in the west which is all about 'pimping' and vanity, in Korea it stems from a different reason culturally. Sure it's starting to mirror the West from a couple decades ago with the advent of the internet, but the 'effect' of materialism stems from a desire to project the image of success, which not only has a selfish component but also reflects well on your family, it shows that your parents succeeded at parenting and raised you well, it makes them proud (once again pride is very important in Korea), and as a good son or daughter, there's nothing greater you can do for your parents than to be successful and make them proud, which is like showing your gratitude for all the sacrifice they made in raising you, sending you to the best school/after-school academy they could afford. These are concepts which are foreign in the West due to their sense of individualism and independence.
Once again I commend you for your effort in trying to put together as honest and accurate a picture of the topic at hand. You did an excellent job considering the conciseness of your video, the best by a foreigner that I've seen.
Good comment overall. However parents expecting gratitude from their children is part of the problem. If they don’t want the responsibility with having a child, then don’t have them. But to have them with the expectation that they base their entire life on pleasing you and making you proud is the height of ignorance. That is exactly the type of people that should not be having kids. Ironically they probably had kids in the first place caving in to societal demands, so in a way they feed the cycle. The victim of the cycle becomes a perpetrator. SK is getting its karma now.
I LOVE YOUR COUNTRY. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, FOOD IS UNIQUE, YOUR PEOPLE IS LOVELY, EVEN WITH ALL THE BAD AND GOOD THINGS. I VISIT KOREA ON 2023, AND I FELT IN LOVE WITH IT FOREVER!
@@thecrimsondragon9744Having no expectations from your children is irresponsible parenting. A responsible parent should raise their children to be confident, hardworking, striving, respectful, independent and resourceful. Failure should be taught as a learning experience but not trying or giving 100% effort as more disappointing. Most Korean children, even in the West, are raised with such expectations or goals and they internalize these expectations/goals. They mostly want to make their parents proud as they understand sacrifices have been made. They grow up taking far better care of their elderly parents than most Westerners so Korean parents are doing something right. We generally don’t forsake our elderly into old folk homes, no matter the hardship. Competitiveness is in our blood. Survival of the fittest is very real in Koreans due to occupation and oppression. We aren’t raised to be nor do we raise strawberry children😅
Granted, I am speaking from a Korean immigrant and first generation Korean American perspective and my parents immigrated to USA solely to provide their children with more educational and career opportunities😅
Such a spot on comment!
It was an honor showing you and Will around Korea. You guys did a phenomenal job showing the best and worst of Korea. Resilience IS the best word to describe Korea and even when things feel hopeless in Korea (especially these days in politics as well) I know Koreans are resilient and will rise to the occasion. We are resilient and super adaptable. I am so proud of my Korean heritage and really appreciate you and your team shining light on Korea. I hope a lot of Koreans watch this :)
🎉🎉more Mark documentary style travel videos like this please!!!
Also the cat cafe scenes were too hilarious. Maybe the happiest version of Mark i’d ever seen
But how does resilience go with the highest number of suicides? Lovest childbirths? Highest beauty standards? Asking because I generally don't see it as resilience. I see a lot of adaptation, incredible competitiveness, incredible fastmoving innovation in all areas and a lot of other things🙂
Resilience? Gaza is a story of resilience, you guys live in luxury
@@ycc7744 Korea has been through quite a lot of trauma. Including the Japanese invasion and attempted erasure of the Korean people & culture in the early 1900s. Genocide most recently happened in S Korea in the 1950s. That wasn’t that long ago!!
@@ycc7744absolutely. also the african countries that are still in civil war for years
놀랍도록 정확한 분석일 뿐만 아니라
그속에서도 살아남으려고 노력중인 한국인들에 대한 따뜻한 마음까지 담긴 매력적인 영상이다.
@@ZhugeLiang1004왠 헛소리
동의해요.
허나 한국의 사기공화국이 됬음
전세사기 비대면대출사기 주식사기 통신사사기 은행횡령 음주운전 촉법 뇌물 비리 등 사기꾼나라임
어찌 가해자 인권을 다지켜주지
@@warpwa헛소리가 아니라 다름을 인정하자는 이야기 입니다.
너랑 나랑 다르건 틀리지 않다는 것. 다양성을 인정하기.
@@ZhugeLiang1004 몬틀을 깨? 몰한게 있다고? ㅎ 방송나와서 돈버는건가 틀을 꺤거냐?
Mark, Ive been a fan/follower for years. This is the best peice of content youve put out in a while. The empathy, the objectivity, the optimism. There is a zest for life that is infectious. More please.
this is a great video. I've been to south korea many times myself and absolutely love it there...as a visitor. having gone so many times, i've seen the good and the bad, especially in seoul. i learned a lot from interacting and making friends with locals but i've learned even more from just observing. the country and its people are beautiful but they have their challenges too. getting to immerse oneself in the culture really opens your eyes from the glitz that represents them in media. you get to see the reality of it all and that's very well reflected in this video. truly, truly well made.
also, heh. 13:06 had to double take to make sure it's felix lmao
What about the bullying and hierarchy? Some are bullied to death in the military and schools, only because they are poor, not good looking, or even just younger.
I think it is a really big and serious problem existing in Korea.
Yes its the confucianism (and social darwinism)
In a society where play time for children is consider wasteful, im not surprise if its an outlet for their congested emotions.
Omg!
Korea isn't even the most suicidal country on earth it's ranked number 4
@@danielsonn3046 It's the most suicidal among advanced OECD countries.
Very understanding and heartwarming video. You did not describe nor define Korea’s problems through judgmental perspective but rather critically viewed and sincerely hoped for our better future. Thanks for a great video.
SOUTH KOREA IS SO F4KE SIR ! 🤮 MY INDIA IS BETTER ! 🤗🇮🇳🥰 🇮🇱THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗
WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! I WILL NEVER GO TO SOUTH KOREA ! 😡😡 THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳
I had left Korea when I was 27, and I have lived in Australia since then. There are many reasons why I left Korea however one of the biggest reasons is backstabbing culture and toxic work culture. Wherever you are at work and school, people are very nice in front of you but they stab your back behind you. what I mean is they gossip about you and pull you down.Especially when they believe you have more than them or you are smarter then them. It made me really sick. Of course anywhere around the world there is bullying, toxic culture exists. However, I never ever regret the fact that I left Korea.
i bet u miss the cheap food and food stalls though😭
I'm actually second-generation Korean living in Australia. I'm so grateful that they moved here. But the commenter above me is right, the cheap food and food stalls are great I travel to Korea a lot.
All of Asia are like this !
@@dazdje Traveling to Korea is fun and you can enjoy yummy Korean food. However, living and working there is different story, if you work there, average working hour is 50hrs, also minimum wages are like $10 (AUD) an hour, but the cost of living is almost same as Australia. You can imagine how hard Korean people's lives are.
@@Uchiha.watashi not cheap
i enjoy every second of this. informativ, emotional, relatable, interesting and foremost technically well made. thank you!
I'm a Korean-American, born and raised in Korea until high school and immigrated to America in 1981. This video is spot-on. When I was living in Korea, I was under so much pressure to excel in school, mercilessly driven to study so very hard to go to a good university - by the time I was in high school, I felt so old, exhausted, and wanted to retire from life. It was all about studying all the time to get the best grades with no time to play or have fun. We even pressured to waste as little time as possible on sleeping at night. I was so stressed, depressed and worn out. It was brutal. We never blamed society or others with sense of entitlement that most Americans have, and we just took all responsibility on our individual selves to work hard, improve ourselves and excel. Some of my Korean friends as adults had to work so hard, couldn't go home at night, had to continue working all night and sleep at their desks, some of them died of failed health - literally working to death. There is a price in coming so far from the poor and war-torn country to the one now excelling in every field.
and let me guess... you rocked it in the US and smashed everyone else. Did'nt you?
@@backintimealwyn5736 Hahaha! In a long process, I had to learn to relax and let loose, not being so uptight, regimented to organize and control my life all the time. Need to balance.
@@stilldrop9540 sure, but it's easier than struggling to make any effort. the US and the west in general also need to balance, the perfect system is somewhere in the middle, I would say that it's closer to Korea than western schools (since we have to all make the same mistakes and copy our worst ideas) , we used to have more demanding education systems, a lot of pressure too, but not as much than Korea, things were so much better.
The price is far, far higher. It is hundreds of millions of Africans and Asians being literally worked to death with whips and guns to provide you free resources. It is the investment of a big chunk of global GDP that the west stole from those places and invested into South Korea to create fake excellence. A billion souls worked or tortured to death to create the most depressed society ever. But hey, you won, congratulations.
@@backintimealwyn5736 I've found it's hard to connect with relaxed, not-so-ambitious Americans. Can't make friends because you're a weird quiet kid who just isn't cool or interesting. I don't think being a nerd is very popular.
Very nice and accurate insight. But most Korean people even do not recognize how depressed they are. I am Korean but have been lived in other countries for more than 10 years. Never coming back.
무슨 개소리냐?
어느나라든지 음과양이 있지 ᆢ
한국을 뭘 안다고 헛소리를 하냐?
삶은 어느나라나 치열해
그리고 그걸이기고 감사함으로 사는거지
You are wrong.@@박파랑이-h3q
@@박파랑이-h3q한국인이라잖아;;;; 뭘 안다고 말하냐니;;
@@박파랑이-h3q에휴 딱 니같은놈들 얘기다
@@durr3471 주제 파악이나 해라 머져리야
Smart move to talk about your sponsor while you eat the spicy rice cakes. This way noone would skip this part. Very fucking smart 👏🏻👏🏻
This is what TH-cam was made for. You've done a great job outlining all the factors leading up to the problem. From storytelling to visuals and use of motion graphics, this was a great video overall.
As a Korean who spent my childhood in Korea and moved to other countries during my teens, I can definitely see how competitive Korean society is compared to other countries. This video is incredibly accurate and relatable. Thank you Mark and his team for this informative video, my entire family has now watched it !
Welp this just proves that u r a coward that ran away from the ‘competition’😂
yeh it really is. It's getting so tiring man
The female korean psychologist was mad cool
She even had subtitles to translate English to English we live in such a advanced time
Yeah what's up with that? hahaha@@southcoastinventors6583
*mad cool 🤔🤣 Why are you talking like an American?
@@chayo4537 why do you care what's wrong with you
she's my favorite person in this video
Love this! Thank you for this!
As someone practicing slow living, who went through growing up with a self-inflicted need to achieve and not getting into school like I wanted due to conflict with parents, this makes me grateful to live where I am. That I can actually take a breath if I wanted to, after years of pushing myself
Your on the right path and setting an even better example ❤
17:40 This is so freaking true. My mom is clearly suffering mentally in various ways, yet she refuses to seek counseling or help from mental health professionals. I struggled with panic disorder for three years, and she always asks me, 'Can't you just overcome it?' No, mom, this is emotional abuse, seriously.
My family immigrated from Korea to the US when I was 12. When I went to school in Korea, the pressure to do well was so intense that I still suffer from PTSD after 40 yrs. My older sister, my younger brother, and I have all done really well (the academic standard in the US is a joke compared to Korea) because of how we were raised in Korea but I feel like I would have never made it had my family stayed in Korea. Yes, I also refuse to see a psychiatrist because I think being stubborn and being self-reliant is the definition of Korean mentality. hahaha
my parents were pretty open to me getting mental help because we lived in the US for 5 years a long time ago. But they still have the mindset of: "if you're traumatized or hurt by what someone has said/done, that's on you because the same thing might not impact others the same way, so just get an apology and move on".
It's frustrating to me because I bring up the past because I feel like it NEEDS to be addressed for one to actually move on and make peace. Especially when it's caused by your own parents, and we'll have to see them for a long time until they pass.
@@mspsys as someone who has overcome depression I think talking with yourself is better than a psychiatrist. Or talking with people that are in the same situation also helps, though they are hard to find. The point is you are not alone in the way that you feel.
As a expat who has been living in Seoul for 4 years, I think this video beautifully sums up the situation in Korea. All of these points are true and I have seen it myself. I have had conversations with coworkers and friends about these things. The differences between Korea and the US/Western world. The biggest difference is definitely the view of mental health and accessibility. I realized how uninformed many Koreans are about mental health and mental disorders. They are surprised at how open I am about these topics and how my friends have been open to me when I tell them stories of my friends' struggles. I will say the younger generations are much more open to talking about mental health and making mental health a priority. Some children I work with are getting help and treated. However, there are so many that view any mental health issues, disorders, or disabilities as a weakness and will try to hide it or choose to ignore the reality that it is happening to them/a loved one. One friend who teaches kindergarten told me how one of their previous students definitely had some kind of mental disability and the parents were in formed this child should be tested. But the parents refused because they say "nothing is wrong with my child." Instead of identifying it early and getting help and treatment that will help their child cope and function well in life, they choose to ignore it because they don't want their child singled out.
The work culture is also brutal. Just as the video says, many work crazy hours even if they don't have work. OR they have so much work, they work crazy hours. I had a friend getting 2-4 hours of time at home (getting home around 4am and back at work at 9am), with no overtime pay, and crazy pressure of having to complete a bucket load of tasks and some of those tasks she was not qualified or had the education to actually do. She did this work schedule for months! And to add another factor into the mix, the birth rate is low and the government is trying to encourage people to have children. However, how can it be expected for a person, who is barely seeing the apartment they rent, to have the time for a relationship and then have time to raise and care for a child? Very unrealistic.
Even as a foreigner, I have felt the pressures as well. I am supposed to be a "role model" and "example of a good citizen." Which is fair, but there is no wiggle room here to be human and make mistakes. I feel judged or that I will be judged. And as an averaged sized American, the stress about my body image during my first year here was strong. I've grown to not care about it now but that first year when you are thrown into a society all about image, you start caring too when you realize how much everyone cares. I love this country. It's beautiful and the culture is beautiful. Generally, the people are wonderful and nice and the food is to die for. However, I have felt weighed down and stifled so I actually am returning home after 4 crazy years of fun but also awful experiences (but mostly fun). And most of my friends feel the same way and are leaving one by one, some of them taking Korean SOs that want out too. There are so many factors to this decision so don't weigh it all on Korean society/mentality as a whole, but it is a factor.
당신의 따뜻한 마음과 좋은 의견에 감사합니다. 현실은 당신이 말한것보다 한국은 더 최악입니다. 정말로 자본주의와 유교의 나쁜점만 갖고 있습니다. 나도 한국이 변하길 바라지만 쉽지 않습니다. 많은 사람들이 영상을 보고, 뭔가를 느끼고 반성했으면 좋겠습니다. 감사합니다❤❤❤
I would say its the korean culture because they are not evolving with time but holding on to how the older generations have been over worked
This is really sad, I was one of the people who standardized Korea because of what I saw in kdramas, I still dream of visiting Korea and i think it's good that people are more open to the importance of mental health.
좋은글 감사합니다. 우리의 성취를 마냥 즐길데가 아니군요. 자본주의와 유교의 최악의 결합. 외모에 대한 스트레스 징글징글합니다. 주제넘는 외모평가도 신물나구요.
As a Korean, I agree with your points about the importance of mental well-being. However, in Korean society, fierce competition starts at a young age, as early as elementary school. This creates a paradox: while mental health is recognized as crucial, current solutions often fail to address the issue at its root, which is the relentless pressure to compete.
Even though individuals pursue success in various aspects of life, from academics and careers to marriage and social standing, the constant struggle to "win" fuels the prevalence of mental health concerns. Eliminating competition entirely, however, wouldn't be a viable solution. Korean society has achieved significant advancements through its emphasis on hard work and pushing individuals to strive for excellence.
The challenge lies in adapting to changing times. The current competition-driven model, championed by older generations and politicians, no longer aligns with the needs of today's society. Maintaining this approach only exacerbates the situation, as evidenced by the unprecedented decline in birth rates, surpassing even war-torn nations.
While competition can be a positive force, the rigid, one-size-fits-all approach stifles the potential of individuals with diverse talents. To thrive as a nation in the face of evolving global needs, we must cultivate diverse fields for competition, fostering creativity and efficiency across various fields.
It's crucial that older generations and policymakers acknowledge the need to move beyond the singular focus on competition and embrace a more multifaceted approach that allows individuals to succeed in different ways.
Thanks Mark. This new series is awesome. Lived the one about Portugal as well
This is so spot on. I'm grateful for the fact that, instead of just taking a nosedive, youwent deep inside one's culture and really tried to understand before you come up with a conclusion. For that I really appreciate the work you put in to make this video a possibility, and subbed for more quality contents like this.
10:20 사람 앉혀 놓고 면밀히 외모 평가 들어가는거 상당히 한국스러움 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
이런거부터 한국이 망해가고 우울한 이유를 알려줌 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋ 본인 댓글에 휴그랜트 눈닮앗다고 써놓은거 자체가 한번더 찝은거 같음
심지어 배웠다는 의사분도 저 나이대 이상 한국인들은 다 저모양이고 저게 뭐가 잘못된줄도 모름 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
초면에, 안친한데, 외모나, 재산, 연봉, 학교, 이런 민감한걸 전혀 꺼리낌없이 묻는게 한국문화
하긴 의사?였다는건 20살때 의대 들어갔을테고
그런 포지션으로 쭈욱 살았으니 ㅋㅋ 아무도 태클 안건 삶 살았으니 한국인 그 자체가 될수밖에 없었을듯
@@김디카-z6b 외모 평가도 그렇고 올해 20살이면 대학어디 가냐 ㅈㄴ물어봄. 대한민국이 남인생에 관심많은건 알아줘야됨
이 유튜버님도 이 현상을 흥미롭게 보고 올린 것 같습니다 ㅋㅋㅋ
Fantastic summary of Korean cultural uniqueness and the events that led to where they're at today. The other layer is the economic decisions that led to the Chaebol dominance in the economy. As someone who has enjoyed learning about Korean culture since discovering KDramas during lockdown (and then learning Korean as a hobby) I have found that KDramas are doing a decent job at exposing and discussing the challenges and taboos in their society. Not just the usual taboo relationship tropes. Dramas like DP that expose the mental health issues in military service and My Liberation Notes that explore the grinding commutes and hopelessness of climbing the ladder.
The jaebol dominance is a product of Confucianism and capitalistic policies post-Korean war. Mark did an excellent job succinctly summarizing it as "the worst parts of Confucianism and worst parts of capitalism".
"My Mister" is a Kdrama that I recommend to people. It's accurate in the way it portrays their mentality and social pressures. Also a really well made series. Now made even more poignant with the main actor Lee Sun Kyun's recent Su1c1de.
This was a fantastic video. Lol and definitely one of the best ad reads I've ever seen.
As a Korean, as rightfully said by Seohyun, it is changing and it will change. It just takes time for all the generations to acknowledge and recognize and value each other. All I can say now is that Korea is still in transition, trying to resolve these complex issues.
They won't change if they don't acknowledge the problem and have the political will to make structural changes to the societal system and expectations. When something happens (last year, it was suicide of teachers, and suicide of another celebrity), there will be rallies, discussions etc. Then it all dies down and nothing changes.
I pray for Korea
You can't say it will change when there's not even a starting sign to change. Meanwhile there are a lot of signs that it will get worse.
@@csking6377bro he literally said it will just take time for them to acknowledge and recognise their own issues 💀💀
@@AliAli-et7zyi don’t think u can speak for koreans who live there or have lived there and say it’s changing but very slowly 💀 n ur name is ali so i’m sure ur from muslim country or smth so u wouldn’t know better than a korean
I think this could be a series, great multi-faceted demonstration of the culture, great job with the editing too!
Korea is real squid game.
True.. they're gambling to life
ㄹㅇ@user-et4pe8hx1x
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I think thats the whole point of squid game
Another great video Mark. Thank you.
Thank you for making this. You are very bold in making this, and spot on! I can't agree more as a Korean.
As a Korean, I think his video should be required viewing for governments, parliaments, and any organization that makes policy in South Korea. Very accurate than any other written or spoken materials ever made by us Koreans.
SOUTH KOREA IS SO F4KE SIR ! 🤮 MY INDIA IS BETTER ! 🤗🇮🇳🥰 🇮🇱THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗
SOUTH KOREA IS SO DANGEROUS SIR ! MY INDIA IS BETTER ! 🤗🇮🇳🥰 🇮🇱THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗
You are asking someone who designed this system to break down the system , and it is not going to happen. SAD
What the government intends is this abuse, they are not interested in people’s happiness and quality of life.
WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! I WILL NEVER GO TO SOUTH KOREA ! 😡😡 THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳
I really appreciate your so much effort to analyse the current states of Korean society. I, as a Korean living in Europe, have felt hard to explain the complex pros and cons of Korean society to friends in here. Even though I agree most of the points you made in this video, I was not able to organize how they are related. In that point, this you did amazing job to clarify the complex relation between factors and their results. Now this is one of my favorite video in youtube, and I'll recommend this video to anyone who are interested in the Korean society. Good job Mark again, and I am looking forward to see other videos! Cheers
Awesome video. This is my first time watching your content and I loved it as a Korean!
I really appreciate your insights and advice for Korea. As a Korean, we need this kind of objective point of view and opinions from outside our society for a better change. Thank you.
WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! I WILL NEVER GO TO SOUTH KOREA ! 😡😡 THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳
한국의 문제를 받아들이고 해결하려는 모습 조차도 한국인의 모습 같음,,, 자신을 발전시켜야 살아남을 수 있으니 그럼 해보자는 생각이 내면화되면서 외부적으로도 적용하는 듯,,,
댓글을 보니 문제가 해결될 수 없다는 의견보다 나아진 한국을 그리는 사람이 많은 걸 보면 해결할 수 있다는 생각을 많이 가지는 걸 볼 수 있음 그래서 한국인이 resilience를 가졌다고 하는 말이 이해가 됨,,,
향상심이란 것이 독이 되기도 하지만 동시에 해독제가 되는 게 참 아이러니하면서 재미있어요ㅎ
Go korea ♡ ♡
@salary-fz3hhnumbers do. And numbers don't lie.
지나친 일반화의 오류. 이 비디오는 현실울 100% 반영했죠.
외국인의 눈으로 한국을 보니 역시 더 정확하게 보이는구나. ’모아니면 도(All or nothing)’ 성공아니면 실패라는 인지왜곡적인 교육방식과 그로인한 무한경쟁, 보수적이고 집단적인 유교문화와 자본주의의 물질주의적인 가치 상충이 한국인을 우울하게 만들고 있다는 내용인데 극히 공감된다. 집단의 책임감과 압박은 높고 자유와 개인은 없는 물질적이고 자본주의적인 성공도 함께 달성해야 하는 일타쌍피적인 압박…이러니 한국인들이 우울하고 피곤할 수밖에..ㅎㅎ 그나저나 출연한 한국인 정신과 의사형제들은 처음 본 미국사람 외모평가질 오지게 한다..
그게 한국이 여기까지 오게한 원동력이니까. 둘다 취하는건 불가능했을거라고봄.
난 한국인들이 여유있고 성공실패에 관용적이었다면 동남아 수준 됐을거라고봄
@@탄량 ㅇㅇ 그야 누구냐에 따라 다르죠. 다만 전 불행했을거라 봅니다. 누군가는 흙파먹고 의료시설도 제대로 안되있어서 집에서 죽어나가도 행복함을 느낄 순 있지만, 전 그렇지 못햇을거라 생각합니다. 비교 관념이란게 뭔가요? 그냥 비교 아닌가요? 결국 물질적 조건이 충족되었음에도 우울한건... 그 사람의 마음가짐입니다. 후진국에선 우울할 틈이 없죠. 기본적으로 물가는 낮지만 소득은 그보다 훨씬 낮아서 정말로 말 그대로 하루벌어 하루 살아가는게 후진국입니다. 우울할 시간이 있는것 조차도 사치죠. 순간순간이 말그대로 생존을 위한 몸부림인데.
한국인은 개인으로서 다른 생각과 방향을 주장할 용기를 배우지 못해서 자신의 생각과 달라도 다수가 가는 방향으로 흘러가는 인생을 살아간다 자신의 내면에서의 목소리와 외부에서의 삶의 모습이 다른데서 오는 우울감과 패배감이 전반적으로 있는데도 그냥 그렇게 바보같이 살아감
@off7970 진정하세요. 님처럼 발끈하는것도 화병의 증상중 하나이며 한국인에게 쉽게 발견됩니다. 앞으로요? 글쎄요... 우리가 그걸 선택할 수 있는 입장이라면 저도 참 좋겠네요. 뭐든지 선택가능하다면 경제도 여유있고 사람도 여유있으면 좋겠습니다. 근데 그렇게 좋은 선택지가, [난 이렇게 할거라긍!]이라고 해서 존재할지가 의문이네요. 다시 말하지만 진정하시구요.
@user-getjswq1dheewi 하고싶은말? 난 앞으로에 대해 언급하지 않았던거지. 지금까지 그래왔다라는거였지, 앞으로도 그래야한다고 말하지 않았음. 한국어 이해가 가능하신 분이시라면 한번만 읽어도 알 수 있는 내용. 그걸 마치 앞으로도 그래야 하냐고 대뜸 말하는 사람한테 하났냐고 하는것뿐. 하지도 않은 말에 발끈하니까. 님도 화가 나셨나요?
Brilliant!! Thanks for this video. I have been to SKorea once, and plan to return. I like that this video has an optimistic ending.
As a korean who will soon turn 19, this video almost made me cry.
It is true we suffer and are worried about us and what the future will hold, but the reason why I couldn't give up and kept myself together was that slight hope that I never told anyone that things will get better if I try better, if I try to become that generation to lead the way to a much more acceptable happiness.
As always I was thinking about leaving the country because of the lack of space and acceptance my generation gets, but again I also wish to stay where I laughed, cried and was born.
I believe that we will get through this.
I second that especially the last part!
You’re happy man, I didn’t laugh, cry at the age (but was born).
**hug hug**
I too will be turning 19 did year..the stress sure kicks in ..we'll get through it ..its alryt
Just keep going and pushing. You'll be ok! Anyone at 19, their life has not even fully blossomed yet and begun. You've got to dig deep and try to bloom where you are planted. I hope very much that your beautiful country and its people rise to the level of self-acceptance and inner happiness that you hope to see in your world. You seem to have a really good heart.
Please make this a series! Great video!
Korea is amazing...lived there for a year many years ago- some unbelievable and resilient people, and in my experience, some of the kindest people. I hope this helps open the dialogue for everyone ...thanks, Mark!
This was absolutely terrific! Thanks.
You're killing it with these videos! Keep going, we love 'em.
Being a foreigner that lived in Korea, I always pointed out the dichotomy of the society. The glitz and glam that you would often see but a couple streets away it would look more like I stepped back in time a couple decades. Seoul was an amazing experience but I know as someone who didn’t work in the Korean economy, I didn’t fall under the societal pressure that they did. I got to experience all the up sides with none of the downsides. I would love to go back to Korea and experience more of the culture and especially the food!
I also recognize the same could be said about America in the fact that there is a big difference in Beverly Hills and somewhere like Compton but it felt more in your face and kind of surprising in Korea.
It was neat reading about your perspective as an average Black dude.
Regarding your second comment, I second that. The huge differences in the neighborhoods in LA are obvious. Even just going across the street, you can notice the huge economic crises in the transient populations and the homelessness due to the extraordinarily high cost of housing.
@@AverageBlackManJ
There are dichotomies in pretty much every society, kinda makes it interesting. It is often easier to notice if you are coming from the outside, though.
@@ssssssstssssssss this is definitely true. In your own society, things just seem normal as they are. When in a different location, you pick up on things that are different because nothing there is normal to you.
As an educator in Korea for the last dozen years, I agree with this video. Korea excelled in economics because it needed to survive. Now it must tackle its social problems, inequalities, and depression-inducing educational and work methods if it wants to survive.
The thing is stress and depression is all self-induced. So it's not the government or society that creates it. But it's one's own self-deprecating thoughts that induce it.
@@RollerBladingSuxs Man - you really can't see the toxicity in this kind of system can you?
@@RollerBladingSuxssome society’s have terrible stressors and thought processes that can contribute to your pressure. You don’t exist in a vacuum so Your society can cultivate harmful thought processes and expectations that you have to work through to fix
@@RollerBladingSuxsunless you are in a forest you will always be influenced and affected by the things around you, especially early childhood where you learn the most about what type of attitudes and ways you deal with life. Shame is a huge part of these societies
@@SirCruxful Remember the saying no one is responsible for your life except you.
I’ve been resisting from watching this video even though it kept on popping up on my feed, as I feared it would be too depressing to watch. But wow, i got sucked in, watched the whole thing in one sitting without skipping. I’m glad that Mark found resilience in Korean people and some hope in the country I was born in. Thank you for the good work, it is very well made.
You should have been resisting, because it simply lies in the title. And i'm here to just confirm that.
I am German but live in Korea for the past 4 years. I absolutely love it here, but I know, that is, because the societal norms and pressures for Koreans, don't apply to me as a foreigner. And I don't work a 9-5 job. Korea is a great beautiful country, but it heavily depends on, what you do for work and how financially free you are.
The Lord Jesus Christ became the Savior of sinners (all humans) by coming down from Heaven & dying on the 🪵 wooden cross for our sins. God raised Him from the dead, and Jesus is now a living Savior with God in heaven.
But don't lose hope. Anyone can be saved from their sins and from going to hell in two easy, peasy steps:
1. Realize that you are a sinner who CAN'T SAVE YOURSELF from going to the lake of fire (forever) 🔥 based on your good deeds, your own philosophy, and other religions.
2. Realize that you need to believe in your heart ❤️ that ONLY Jesus Christ died for your sins.
If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart ❤️ that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart ❤️ man believe unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Congratulations! 🎊 👏 After this life, you're on your way to heaven forever! ⬆️💯🥳
Well, you Germans have pretty strong work ethic as well, nothing like Korea of course, but in European standards, you’re probably the leaders. ✌️
@@TikuVsTakuit’s not a case anymore in Germany 😂times changed
As a German-Korean, you might appreciate your mirror image: a Korean-German philosopher named Byung-Chul Han!
@@rgzhaffie I know him and like him 😊👍
Born and raised, now nearing my 40s here in the peninsula, I feel like we are perhaps the most anxious & confused people in the world. The fact that those in younger generation nowadays are more aware of what's wrong with the country, I hope there still is a hope for a better future. We showed the world our economic success and now it's time for some self-care. Let us stay sane no matter what, dear fellow Koreans! Huge thanks to this video, Mark!
How can u be soooo good in English ^^
@@chocoholic5645They learn it in school 😂
agreed.
As a Korean middle-aged man having two kids, this is a really well-made documentary. I couldn't agree more . A few years ago, I moved to Canada with my family. That's a good opportunity to compare my home country and North American culture. And now I realized how depressed my life was. And I thought that was just normal life that everybody on the planet has. Now I know it's not.
Workaholic culture, limited sun light exposure, extremely demanding society and long hours exposure to blue light screen is a fatal combo.
Well said.
호주같은 나라처럼 석유나 석탄등 자원이 많은것도 아니고 일본이나 영국같은 패권국가가 아닌 나라가 살아가기위해서 오로지 사람들 갈아서 만든나라가 한국이지..
그래서 서로 끝없이 경쟁하게 만들고 지면 도태된거고 그로인해 정신적 스트레스는 끝없이 올라가고.. 이 나라가 살기위해서는 어쩔수없는 선택이었다고 생각함 진짜 사람말고는 자원이 아무것도 없었으니까
죄송한데 일본은 패권국가가 아닙니다
Much like Round 6.
Australia is no different to Korea in that case.
Heaps of homeless, all our money and resources go overseas
Your description is more suited to Japan. No oil, no coal, tons of disaster especially eartquake, and 70% land covered by mountainous terrains with litte room for 125 mil population, Japan is much worse than Korea. Korea is still pretty normal and better compared to Japan in the terms of the survival.
@@g1_jiwon_ 스웨덴도 자원하나도 없고 인적자원만 있는데 우리나라처럼 경쟁 안심하고 외모든 직업이든 남무시하는 문화도 없음..
"I... don't give a f***"... That delivery is the most factual, determined and yet sweet I've ever heard. I'll try to say it like this everytime I'll get to think that from now on.
“I …. Don’t give a f….” This is probably the solution to their problems. They care too much about what thinks of them.
As a Korean living abroad, I was almost crying at the end of this video. I express my gratitude for making videos that match my thoughts and for being able to spread them to many people through your influence. I hope that Korea will now become a healthy country, not just a rich country.
This was incredible. I think one of the best videos ive seen this year. Def will be rewatching this one.
I lived in the United States until I was 9 years old and lived in Korea since. It was good to answer the questions that I felt vaguely when I first came to Korea. Korea is a very contradictory and strong attractive place. There are many problems with collectivism, but at the same time, the power to overcome is also strong. Even though I was young, it was a contraindication atmosphere to ask the question of the school's education, but now it has changed a lot. I will try to change more. Thank you for making this meaningful video!
10:18 진짜 내가 다 수치스럽다... 저걸 칭찬이라고 스몰토크라고 하고있냐
인식을 바꾸고 싶다고 주장하는 심리학자라는것들도 문제의 일부라는 것을 보여줍니다..
사람의 겉모습과 표면적인 요소에 초점을 맞추고 그걸 첨본사람 칭찬이라고 ㅉㅉ..
너무 한국적인 생각을 하면 안 됩니다.
한국적인 정서 = 지옥행
님에게서 사대주의가 더 느겨지는데...수치스럽다라....님 그럼 한국사회에서 매일 수치감을 느끼면서 살고계심...아님 지금 외국거주중.....강자는 옳다는 사대주의적 기준으로 문화적 잣대를 평가하는 인간들이 더 수치스러움..
외모 칭찬은 한없이 가벼워보였다. 뭐가 사대주의라는거지?
이 덧글이 더 수치스럽다 단순히 서양인들은 선, 한국은 악
이런 색안경 잣대 끼고 영상을 보니까
안보이는 건데
서양인들 스몰토크에선 외모에 대해서 절대 얘기 안하고, 서양인들은 지성과 논리로만 대화하고 이런 줄 아냐
결국 어떤 나라가 선이냐 아니냐를 떠나서
정확하게 맞는 만큼만 평가해야지
저 정도면 무례한 외모 칭찬이나 비판도 아니지
미국 방송 제대로 본 적이나 있음?
I am a high school student who was born in Korea. Everyone here studies for 12 years from the first grade of elementary school to the third grade of high school. Most of them start earlier than that. These days, kindergarten-based private academies and kindergarten students prepare for medical schools before they think about the world they want to live in, because their parents don't know much about the world. I still think that the important thing for teenagers is their view of the world and their various experiences. However, the reality is different. You have to endure the pressure that you didn't even experience in the past, the desire to play, the exercise, etc. due to the set period of study. If you exercise, you also have to develop your physical strength to study. When you go to high school, you write down a portfolio like the first year and complete it for three years in high school, and then enter college based on the content and school grades. At this time, you have to write all the activities you do in school in relation to your career hope, and there is an academy that helps you write such a portfolio. Also, the cost of the academy is huge. I think such education in Korea will cause a wider gap between the rich and the poor. Most students these days don't think deeply about their career path and think that they should definitely go to college, and most of their friends who are good at studying want to pursue medicine. Jobs like doctors and dentists are expensive. Meanwhile, I thought I didn't know why I should go to college in my country. I'm still a teenager who hasn't had much experience, and I didn't think it was worth investing in because it would cost me a lot of money to decide on a department and go to college. Later, later than others, but when I had something I wanted to study for, I wanted to go to college. If I fail college at the age of 19, I will be treated as a failure. Even though I am a broken teenager, my dream is to travel around the world. But that means a lot of adults are interfering with other people's lives, such as how they will make money and need to have money to get married in the future. At first, I thought I would make the right mistake and others would get caught up in this world. I knew what I really wanted was to travel around the world, and I believed that I would be happy with the process even if I had a part-time job that wasn't a full-time job. However, it is really upsetting to find myself getting ingrained in this society. Success and failure are divided in teenagers, and if they don't get married on time, pressure from people around them will arise, and the heads of households will have to earn a certain amount of money, compete in new jobs again, and if they don't have children, I think it is natural that Korea has high suicide rates and depression levels. However, no one is trying to change. As a Korean, I want everyone to look back, not just ahead.
you're looking at the extremes buddy, south korea is not depressing, the people just have high-ass standards, you could go live in any area that isn't Seoul and getting a job and buying a house would be 100 times easier and actually doable in terms of house prices. marriage would be possible, as would children. but people insist on staying in Seoul, if you don't study, you don't study. sure it's more intense than any other western country- but that being said any country has students who study very hard. a shit ton of Korean students do not study hard. they just attend a lot of private lessons/tutors etc. doesn't mean that they study a lot or are super-smart. people with superstitions will say to go to college and to get married etc, but the thing is nowadays people don't ask that as much, and if you do you're just rude/old/uneducated. the students preparing at age 5, 6, 7 or at a young age? that's only the really rich people, and so that's a really really small minority of kids. compared to other countries like india, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines i think korea is a way better country to live in on AVERAGE. compared to the states the people aren't open, extremely racist, and don't really care for others as much with a community vibe as western countries, but to say korea is depressing without giving an objective point of view is unfair. it's a shit country. the laws in particular and the judges/lawyers/politicians aren't great at all. i still hate korea even though i was born here. but give it a fair point of view when judging it.
이 글을 읽고 나의 아들에게 나는 어떤 것들을 보여줄 것인지 깊이 생각해 봐야겠어요.
좋은 관점
Your thoughts 💬 are very deep,, good luck bro,, I'm glad that i was born in India 😌
SOUTH KOREA IS SO F4KE SIR ! 🤮 MY INDIA IS BETTER ! 🤗🇮🇳🥰 🇮🇱THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗
Great video, Mark. Please make more like this one and the recent Portugal one. You do such a great job of getting deep into the topics that I always leave it well informed and educated on something new and important. Thanks!
외모도 완벽해야 하고, 옷도 멋지게 입어야 하고 피부관리, 자기관리 철저히 하며 연예인 부러워 하며 비교경쟁하고, 일도 잘 해야 하고 자녀 교육도 잘 해야 하고..합법화된 중독, 커피 중독자가 됨. 객관적인 시선으로 저를 뒤돌아 보게 되었습니다. 한국인으로서의 자부심도 크지만 냉철한 시야의 좋은 영상 감사합니다❤
대다수 한국인이 열등감이 가득함. 다른나라 인종과 문화에 대한 존중은 찾아볼수가 없음.
인구가 줄어들고 있음에도 이민정책을 혐오하고 외국인에 대한 차별이 일상시 된 한국을 보면 그냥 이대로 망하는게 맞는듯🤣
Koreans are some of the most resilient and warm hearted people I have ever met; please do not take pride in others using you as a workhorse though, they don’t love you
경쟁없는 국가는 없어요. 미국인들은 자살할 용기도 없어서 마약으로 총으로 죽어나갑니다
dont take this the wrong way BUT could it be that way because asian people LOOK ALIKE ?
@@websitemartianIm Korean. You know what? yeah. this isnt exactly false. if everyone looks completely different, its hard to "compare" one another in terms of looks.
Korea is a single race country, hence making us look alike with each other. thus making it more susceptible to peer pressure and comparing
What an amazing video. I have actually been to Korea last year and it is an amazing country. So good to see you zoom in on the "dark" side of this country. Really seems like being a country thats so awesome, kind and hard working comes at a price to the people living there. Love to Korea and you Mark!
Amazing video
연예인이다!
오오
정말 유튜브 지박령 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
형은 어딜가나 있네 ㅋㅋ
형이 왜 여기서...?
Great content! Thank you for this!
I'm a Korean who immigrated to America after college. 3 minutes into this video I realized I'm living the South Korean life even in another continent not because I was forced to but because I volunteered to literally grind myself to excel at work. My biggest challenge while working in the Western corporate environment has been having to work at other people's pace.. Because I wouldn't let emails sit in the inbox for longer than 12 hours, I don't want any dirt on my career, don't wanna take the blame when things go wrong against my wishes whereas my colleagues take that morning coffee and take a full hour lunch outside the office. So I definitely overwork myself and I know it. I just can't help the way i am. It's been helping me progress but at the same time I'm aware this isn't sustainable in the long run. It gets tough when I can't even have the time to seek assistance in mental healthcare although I could. I'll eventually give myself a break but I realize I really need to look after my mental health.
Thank you for covering South Korea with clear insights. Very impressive I am now subscribing your channel!
Great story. But you really need to stop working so hard. You are giving a bad example for the corps what to expect from workers. We don't want to turn into SK 😂
As a westerner living in east Asia, I did experience all the pressure at work which has end up with a burn out. But I did manage to go over it and learn my way of handling pressure, simply go with life flow, especially I realized one thing, we all keep thinking “after I do this I will feel that”, but the reality it’s we should be living in the present. the energy is real.
I suggest a more concrete gradual approach. I work full throttle in the office. But I take the hour lunch. After eating, I go to shops, but don't buy, or a beautiful church, read in the church garden, etc.. I must plan carefully for my brisk walk back to the office to be on time. I also take super mini breaks by having some clean snack and tea at the desk, so I have to look up to take a bite or sip. This is subject to bosses allowing food, but it does make you slow down a bit. Sign up for yoga or other active class once a week to start. Don't be available for overtime, because you have a class. Good luck.
Your effort will pay you back probably more in the US than Korea. You are doing the right thing. If others around you don’t grind as much then why do they drink and do drugs more than you? Don’t stop. Feel free to slow down temporarily but keep going. Fighting!
what i find is the most important 'quality' to have and that will help your career in western workplaces is knowing whose bum to kiss and suck up to, social manoeuvring, being likeable...if anything, if westerner colleagues see you work hard and do better than them, they will resent you.
hey i'm the psychologist in the video. 영상에 나온 심리학자입니다! ㅎㅎ 한국의 사회적 문제에 대해 더 구체적으로 설명하고 싶었지만.. 영어가 부족해서 저렇게 이야기 할 수밖에 없었답니다😂😂 나머지 이야기들은 영어 설명을 잘하는 분들께 부탁드리겠습니다🙇♀️
@Mr-MarkManson learn Korean first😂 and then we can discuss
교포입니다. 영어가 부족하시다뇨! 넘 잘해주셨습니다. 꼭 알려져야 할 주제였고 인터뷰에 응해주셔서 감사합니다 댓글에 박사님 mad cool이라고 적혀있네요 👍👍 한국 사회가 박사님 말씀처럼 내일이든 일주일 뒤든 끝내버리고 싶은 나라가 아니라 앞으로가 더 기대되고 행복하게 더 살고 싶어지는 나라의 방향으로 갔으면 합니다.
Dude, you are so cool, and you’re English was great. Don’t worry about it. Thank you for what you do :)
That was such an awkward interview 😂
마지막 최고 ㅋㅋ
living in seoul for 5 years now, this is the most perfect explanation of how things go here
This video is truly GOLD!!! Thanks for shining light on the truth of Korea Mark.
Wow could've easily watched a whole series of your experiences in Korea! Your insights into Korea's cultural and educational landscape really resonated with me. Being Korean American, I feel a deep sense of pride in the strong work ethic inherent in my heritage. I'm also grateful to have grown up in America where I had a chance to express my individuality. The blend of Korean resilience and American freedom has instilled in me a confidence that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.
As a native Korean, i can confirm that he addressed Korean society really well. I always welcome foreign viewpoint of our culture because it promp me to reassess the culture i am living in. Thank you for the documentation :)
Me living in central EU: i can't belive how much pressure already starting from childhood to go trough bc of a failed society. As exemple, Elementary school kids have 4-5hrs school per day.
I rather choose time for myself over other people's opinions / beeing judged for "failures".
Got time for my own, pursue personal interests, meet people having fun instead of beeing a slave working 100hrs per week to be able to buy the newest gucci goods selling you on a 1.000% profit marge ^
Please like Japan ❤
What will you do after reassessing?
번역 다 되니깐 한국인이면 한국어로 걍 쓰면 됩니다ㅇㅇ
I'm 100% korean who has seen korea in the eyes of a half foreigner, and a korean.
I've lived in America for 6 years, and for the rest of my life, I've lived in Korea.
I tend to think differently than my classmates. Maybe it's because I was raised in america.
I've been through depression and self harm as well before. Not a surprise.
Korea is safe, and it's comfortable. I'll admit it. No guns, no gender or sexuality wars. We have an amazing environment, a lot of things to learn and see, and a ton of culture and excitement.
Then, why do koreans get so easily depressed in korea? Is the country the problem?
It's mostly the socializing. Yes, the government and people around you pressuring to succeed and work are stressful as well. Very much. Studying is harx, and success is hard.
Yet, what makes it so hard are the people. They pressure you. Especially if your job is related to human interactions. They knock you down, they tackle you, they humiliate you.
The fact that you can stay anonymous on the internet does not help. There's a reason why I don't like to interact with koreans online. It's a total mess. Racism, perfectionists attacking you... It's not great. Although it's what makes korea so safe and uncontroversial, it's suffocating when it's a subject like race, feminism, or appearance.
A quick note on racism, I was literally just talking to my friend on the phone and two little boys started mocking me.. I'm korean though.. the kids in my class mock my pronouncation. Yet, foreigners say I don't even sound korean.
"People are rude here too." "Korea's social system isn't special. It's not a special problem."
Go ahead and say that. Just understand that we are always pressured. We never feel free. Besides, the topic is korea, not your country😅
Thank you for reading.❤
No gender wars? Isn't the 4B movement growing like crazy in Korea? Isn't the rift between Korean men and women getting bigger?
@@tobithetabby6376 that's not the gender wars I'm talking about. And, not really. The men and woman problem.. It's been the same for years
Best billiant ad I've seen in this video. Respect.
I am Brazilian, my wife is korean and by the exorbitant prices of the apartments, we live here in Korea with her parents. By the apartments prices and the working pace, Korea has got the lowest Birthrate in the world (0,70). This video is really important to raise awareness of this topic. We decided to start our lives here by the safety. But it is quite sad that children until teenagers don't play around, dont do any sports... when we leave the gym (9-10pm), the floor above is an academy (study support), they are all there until this time. I am 30, and I suffered depression in my childhood, and I have ADHD. When I mention it round here that I am going to the psychologist, and after therapy, they don't understand because it is quite unusual here. It concerns a lot the future here... we really hope that society changes. Korean people are so kind and nice. As they are so resilient and strong, I am sure they will overcome this situation well. They deserve more
Why don't we raise "awareness" about the rampant murder and homelessness in Brazil, along with serious drug problems? Come on man, anyone can do a video of the things wrong with any country and make it look bad. On a world scale the truth is South Korea is one of the best places to live where it is safe and quality of living is a LOT better then most countries, including Brazil where poverty is very common.
@@Hqmptynpw holy moly you're a ray of objective truth in all this subjective bs.
@@jerrygreen9985 I speak facts. Of all the countries in this world where there isn't even running water or proper sanitation, or where women can't even be seen in public without a hijab covering their heads (with severe consequences) or countries where there are constant ongoing wars and even America with all the school shooting, out of control crimes, rotting educational system, drug epidemics, etc, etc, and yet Mark Manson delusionally says, "South Korea is the most depressed place in the world." I seriously question his intelligence and logic. And even more his authenticity and motive.
@@Hqmptynpw wtf are you saying? he's comment is just about the same topic as the video itself, in the video the autor mentioned the benefits of the south korea society a dozen times, but the focus is the MENTAL HEALTH problems that this society suffers from very young age, stop trying to distort the topic to shade away the problems that your country has and shame other's
@@denian17 My American friend, you're not understanding the gist of what I'm saying. When Mark Manson starts off and titles his video, "South Korea is the most depressive country in the world." It's so false and misleading, I'm not even sure where to begin with his ridiculous assumptions. What metrics & stats is he using to validate his ludicrous claims? My point being, if I put up a video talking about how terrible America is to live and then proceed to discuss all the homelessness, drug infested cities where used needles abound in local streets where children walk to school, where criminals run rampant without regards for the law (because corrupt politicians & radical DA's wont arrest them) school and mass public shootings on a monthly basis, a broken education system where kids in the inner cities graduate high school and can't read nor do elementary math, psychological issues far greater then any other nation, etc, etc....... I can really do a scathing portrayl of America and how it would "be the worst country to live in" and you would probably say to yourself, "Wow, that is going over board with some misleading narratives." And you would probably also say, "I guess this idiot hasn't lived in other countries where women can't even go out in public without a head covering (most of Middle East Muslim nations) or people don't even have clean running water immediately available (most African nations, India, Latin America) or super inflation where most people in Europe, even in wealthier countires like Germany, UK, France can't afford to eat meat on a consistent basis or have difficult times paying for their utility bills because it's so expensive, etc, etc.
Come on now, this is how negative stereotypes and generalizations that Westeners, especially American media & Hollywood have always done to put down, discredit and negatively stereotype Asian countries and Asians in general. I speak facts.
가진 게 인적 자원뿐인 이 나라의 원죄지... 그 전성기는 충분히 뜨거우니, 이젠 조금씩 식어가며 우리의 원래 자리를 찾아갈 때가 되지 않았을까? GDP, 국력 등에서 굳이 세계권이 아니어도 돼, 대한민국아. 넌 충분히 뛰어난 나라야...
그냥 경쟁에 미쳐버리면 딱 한국처럼 되는것같음 항상 이기려고하니까
I am a 30-years old Korean living in Seoul. I lived in New Zealand and Australia in my childhood and came to Korea to study in a high school. The pressure on high school students is so immense and crazy. Probably many of the students taking Sooneung(Korean College Scholastic Ability Test/Korean University Entrance Exam) might have some traumatic memories. Even reaching my 30s, I still had a dream of the day that I screwed up my test. It really sucks. 😞
한국은 우울한국가가 아닙니다 외국인도 한국이 부자국가이며 소득에서 동아시아에서 1등국가 반공주의자국가입니다
@@나-StarWars수능 아니여도 잘 살 수 있는 사회가 되었으면 합니다. 요즘 학생들 의대 가려고 재수 삼수하면서 시간 보내고 있죠. 적성이 맞으면 모르겠지만 그냥 쫒아가는 사회.
@@나-StarWars 그렇게 쉽게 말씀하시는걸 보니 공감능력이 좀 떨어지시는 분인것 같습니다. 우선 왜 쳐야할까요? 더이상 보고싶지도 않습니다. 돈은 그냥 하늘에서 내려오나요? 돈이 아주 많은 동네의 부잣집이면 가능하겠죠, 재수든 n수든요. (그걸 한국인들이 그렇게 외쳐대는 의지의
문제라고 한다면 할말이 없네요) 저는 삶을 살아나가야하는 사람이기에, 거기에 들어가는 돈도 무시할수 없는 것 같습니다. 그리고 회사
생활을 위해서라면 더더욱 하고 싶지도 않구요, 한국에서는 회사생활을 더이상 하지 않을 생각이기 때문입니다. 그리고 저는 이제 석사마치고 박사를 고민하는 상황이라 더더욱 수능은 칠 생각이 없네요.
@@martinocoreano 저도 동의합니다. 수능을 잘 쳐야지만 좋은 회사에 갈 수 있고 좋은 교수 밑에서 대학공부를 할 수 있는건 과연 맞는걸까? 라는 생각이 듭니다.
창의성이 너무나도 중요해지는 시대에 수능은 너무나도 구시대적인 시험 체계라고 생각합니다
@@나-StarWars 죄송한데 저에 대해서 무엇을 아신다고 이렇게 판단하고 댓글을 막달아 대시는건지 모르겠네요. 저에 대해서 여기다 전부적어놓은것도 아니기도 하구요. 적어주신 점은 참고하도록 하겠습니다. 적당히 해주시면 감사하겠습니다.
This was a great read. Thank you for putting this together. Now I have a better understanding of the history and why the people are the way they are. I do hope the younger people can push for change and create a more healthier and a more balanced outlook on life.