Pretty Cafe Fever in Korea! The Dark Reality Behind It

Recently in Korea, cafes that sells unique drinks and desserts with beautiful view and pretty interiors are becoming a THING. Any where you go in Korea; Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Daegu, etc., there are many beautiful cafes that makes you want to visit. The word "소확행(so hwak haeng)," meaning a small but definite happiness, is also becoming popular. Many people enjoys to chat with their friends and read books in those pretty cafes, trying to find happiness in their daily lives. 

However, what's behind it? Today,  we have some critical interpretation about the on going situation.

'I will never be able to live in this pretty house....'

As we already mentioned on our other blog posting "Hell-Chosun", there is a widespread social awareness in Korea that no matter how hard you try, you can never succeed. (This  is somehow true, since the things are going not so well in Korea.) The pessimism of young people are getting worse. It is nearly impossible to buy an apartment in Seoul after twenty years of hard working. Having my own house is now a fairy tale that we can't really dream about. Rather than accomplishing things, their dreams or goals, they are trying to experience their ideal lives that they won't be able to live. This is the reason why going to a cafe is becoming like a fad between young people in Korea.

A picture satirizing Hell-Chosun.

Expensive housing price in Seoul

I am living in a rented apartment that I got when I married. This apartment is very small and has been over 30 years since it is built, which is one of the oldest apartments in Seoul. Before, the price of the apartment was KRW 150 million (US $ 150,000), but last five years it has doubled to KRW 350 million. Even when I got married, it felt like the housing price in Seoul is not normal. However, now I'm starting to think that the price of the previous housing were cheap. If you want to buy the apartment that I'm living now, you have to pay more than one million won of interest every month.

Apartment price in Seoul has increased 1.5 times on average.

(The average Seoul apartment price in 2017 was 600 million.)

The new concept of 'So Hwak Haeng(소확행)'

In this gloomy situation, we have a new concept of 'So Hwak Haeng(소확행),' which means small but definite happiness. It connotes "I will pursue my happiness NOW even if it is small, because it is difficult to own my property later even if I try." Having a delicious desserts on the afternoon in nice cafes, displaying my happiness on social media and sharing it with friends, all these behaviors are from that mentality. Lots of young people in Korea will feel the same these days.

If I try hard and save my money, would I be able to live in a house like this?

How bad is the reality of Korean youth?

The reality of Korean young people is actually really bad. There limited amount chance to find a good job where you can earn money for the houses above. The unemployment rate in Korea has already exceeded 10%, and the situation is going to get worse. If you can't get a good job, nor get a high salary, it you can get only 1% of interest no matter how much you deposit, there is no meaning of saving 7,000 won coffee. Going to a nice cafe and chatting with friends are always more reasonable choice.

The unemployment rate is consistently increasing in Korea.

One in 10 people have no job.

Still, it's not right to settle with the reality.

I agree with this grim reality of the youth. It could be a reasonable choice to concentrate on today's happiness in the country like Korea where you can't find a job, nor a house, or difficult to get a marriage. Even if you work hard, we can not be so sure about your success. Well, it is rather impossible. It is too difficult to change the social class that is not already moving. However, this is not the youth's fault. The ready-made generation has created a system that can not be improved, and they are still teaching the young in the old-fashioned way in this rapidly changing world. It is unlikely that you getting a good occupation with the skill taught by the ready-made generation. Older generations do not even think about lowering housing prices, because their property has increased about 70%.

Despite the irony of this reality, the dark reality can not be turned back if we settle down to the reality. Even if the reality now is hopeless, there is always a solution. Small happiness from delicious desserts might seems meaningful, but how is it different from giving money to the landlord who owns the building, at the end? Our 'So Hwak Haeng' is a frame made by the rich, anyway.

Only pursuing current happiness is nothing but widening the gap between the rich and the poor. Your life 30 years later might be the same as you are now. If you try various things in the present, you may not have immediate results, but in the long term, your life could be changed. There are still a lot of people around us who are constantly challenging, and gaining success.