77% of Koreans in 20s and 30s are 'Kangaroo Tribe' due to job crisis

Last month, an online community post titled ‘Is it weird to ask my daughter to contribute to household expenses?’ garnered attention. The writer, a woman in her 50s, expressed frustration as her daughter, who resides with her, recently secured a job earning 1.9 million won monthly. "I am tired of cleaning her room and doing her laundry," she stated, further mentioning, "When I asked my daughter to contribute 300,000 won to her living expenses each month, she appeared discontent." Reactions within the community varied, with some asserting, "If you have a job, you should be responsible for your own living expenses," while others argued, "They are just starting to earn money, and parents should assist them in saving."

According to the recruitment content platform CATCH, which conducted an online survey of 1,903 people in their 20s and 30s for the first five days of this month, 77% of respondents stated that they were financially dependent on their parents. Forty-three percent reported living at home with their parents, while 41% mentioned receiving rent or pocket money from their parents. An additional 7% reported both living with their parents and receiving an allowance.

The primary reason why young adults in their 20s and 30s are not living independently from their parents is 'not having a stable income' (56%). This difficulty often stems from challenges in finding decent jobs, making it hard for them to sustain themselves without parental support. Other cited reasons include 'living expenses' (17%), 'not feeling the need for independence' (13%), and 'parents being financially comfortable' (7%).

Of the respondents who were financially dependent on their parents, 87% expressed plans to move out on their own in the future. The most common timeframe for independence was 'after I get a job' (53%), followed by 'one to three years after employment' (28%) and 'three to five years after employment' (13%). Six percent of respondents stated they don't plan to move out until they get married.


Ae-Jin Ju jaj@donga.com