The Rise of the Honjok
Is the growing cultural trend of going solo turning South Koreans into a nation of introverts?
According to Wikipedia, Honjok (Korean: 혼족) is ‘a South Korean term for people who willingly undertake activities alone’.
The term became widespread in 2017 to describe the growing number of South Koreans who were performing traditionally social activities such as eating, drinking, and engaging in other leisure activities alone, although it had been in use since 2010, when the number of one-person households in South Korea began to noticeably increase.
South Korean society is traditionally very group-oriented and the rise of this new demographic, with many participants opting out of work, marriage and family, is considered a significant change, that may have many repercussions. So what has caused this shift?
There are a number of reasons for the rise of honjok, both social and cultural.
Many honjok cite dissatisfaction with human relationships as a factor. With increased competition in finding partners, and difficulties in finding jobs and satisfactory living situations, many increasingly feel that making and maintaining connections is too stressful.
