The country’s strict social and professional expectations have beaten Hye-min down. She dropped out of university, sought counselling to deal with battered self-esteem and quit her job. She also decided not to marry. All of these choices have been viewed as failures https://healthland.time.com/2013/09/20/why-your-parents-dont-approve-of-your-husband-or-wife/ by the mainstream, which sees pursuing anything outside the accepted path as disobedient and, for young women, unpatriotic.
Hye-min is one of a growing number of South Koreans who reject conventional notions of family and choose to live alone for either pleasure or practicality. They call themselves honjok, a combination of naholro (alone) and jog (tribe).
In traditionally collectivist South Korea, the concept of family is closely linked to economic security. Those with a family to support them are likely to have access to better healthcare and education, for example. But those who live alone for their own reasons are battling not only stigma but a real risk of loneliness-related health problems.
A recent study found that lonely older people in the country experience rapid deterioration in their mental, physical and social wellbeing. The study also found that loneliness can lead to early death.
In the Eunpyeong district of Seoul, Min-Ji is among many no-marriage women who make up a vibrant community that calls itself Salim, an acronym for Single Ladies Living Independently. The group has a coffee shop, an apartment complex and community centres where members share their knowledge of home care and elder care. They south korean mail order brides also hold workshops on how to navigate the thorny legal issues that can come with living without a partner and a family.
