DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Gyeonggi Province rebrands isolated youth as 'hidden light' to focus on potential

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Gyeonggi Province and its foundation have renamed "isolated and reclusive youth" to "hidden light youth" to improve their image and focus on their potential.
  • An estimated 220,000 young people in Gyeonggi Province, about 5.9% of the 19-39 age group, are estimated to be isolated or reclusive, facing challenges like job difficulties and social stress.
  • The province will strengthen support policies, including psychological counseling, daily life recovery programs, social adaptation support, and employment/entrepreneurship training, alongside parental education and family counseling.

Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Future Generation Foundation are launching an initiative to shift the perception of young people struggling with social isolation and reclusion. The foundation announced on the 21st that it has selected "hidden light youth" as the representative term through a naming contest for "isolated and reclusive youth."

The contest aimed to improve the negative perception associated with the existing term and to focus on the potential and recovery possibilities of these young individuals. Out of 3,309 proposed names from 1,518 participants, "hidden light" was chosen through expert review and online voting. The term signifies that while their light may not be outwardly visible yet, all young people possess their own unique brilliance and potential.

Currently, the number of "hidden light youth" in Gyeonggi Province is significant. A provincial survey estimates that approximately 220,000 individuals, or 5.9% of the 3.67 million young people aged 19-39 in the province, are in a state of isolation or reclusion. The primary reasons cited for this social disconnection include difficulties in finding employment, job failures, stress from interpersonal relationships, and psychological anxiety.

This naming designation is hoped to be a turning point in viewing young people not through disconnection or negative perspectives, but through the lens of possibility and recovery.

— Kim Hyun-samCEO of the Gyeonggi Future Generation Foundation, on the significance of the new term for isolated youth.

In conjunction with the new name, the province and foundation will enhance tailored support policies. These include self-diagnosis and one-on-one professional psychological counseling, an "everyday recovery program" to help re-establish regular routines, "social adaptation support" through small group and self-help meetings, and "competency enhancement training" linked to employment and entrepreneurship, offered in stages. Additionally, parental education and family counseling will be provided to alleviate the emotional burden on families. Regional access will be improved through a network of hub spaces across different areas, making it easier for young people to seek help.

Kim Hyun-sam, CEO of the Gyeonggi Future Generation Foundation, expressed hope that the new naming will serve as a turning point, encouraging a shift in perspective towards viewing these young individuals not through isolation or negativity, but through the lens of potential and recovery. "We will continue to broaden social consensus to understand and support young people," he stated.

We will continue to broaden social consensus to understand and support young people.

— Kim Hyun-samCEO of the Gyeonggi Future Generation Foundation, on future plans for youth support.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog