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'Relationship poverty' on the rise in Korea as loneliness strikes even those who seemingly have it together

Published: 25 Dec. 2025, 19:51

A woman is seen reading a book by herself at a local community center in Incheon [JOONGANG ILBO]

Even as economic hardship eases, a growing number of Koreans are sliding into “relationship poverty” — living stable lives materially yet increasingly isolated, lonely and disconnected in an always-online society.

One such case is a person surnamed Kim, a third-year employee at a well-known multinational company. Kim clocks in and out on time, eats lunch at the office and performs his duties without issue.

So far, he seems like any other office worker. But a closer look reveals a different picture. When he gets off work at 5:30 p.m., Kim heads straight home. He never deviates from his “home-to-work” routine. On weekends, he stays home glued to his smartphone or playing games. Kim relies on deliveries for all his meals.

Kim has 58 KakaoTalk contacts, mostly colleagues, but never speaks to them outside of work. He has zero friends. Kim’s phone rarely rings, and the only messages he receives are advertisements.

After spending more than eight years preparing for the civil service exam and job hunting, his friendships faded. Following a family tragedy, he cut ties with his parents. By the time he landed a job, Kim’s peers were already mid-level managers, and he was much older than his fellow new hires. He felt out of place at work.

“It’s actually uncomfortable to be around others,” Kim said. “I feel isolated. It’s hard to admit, but I’m lonely.”

An older person who lives alone is seen at his home in Dongdaemun District, central Seoul, on Dec. 18. [KIM JONG-HO]

Another similar case is a woman in her mid-40s surnamed Lee, who, with three children, appears to live a stable life. From the outside, she seems to have nothing to worry about. But she recently began taking antidepressants.

As a child, Lee endured domestic violence, and that anxiety never left her, even into adulthood. She left her job after struggling to adjust. Lacking confidence, she distanced herself from others. Her husband doesn’t quite understand her either.

An increasing number of people are edging toward isolation — relationships that are shallow or nonexistent. It’s a paradox of the hyperconnected digital age: rising “relationship poverty.” Experts say that the social distancing of the Covid-19 era has hardened into emotional distancing from those around us.

A total of 21.2 percent of respondents in Korea said they had no one to talk to when feeling depressed or discouraged, according to a 2025 social survey by the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

That figure is up 3.6 percentage points from 17.6 percent in 2015. People living alone were the highest at 26.5 percent, but the rate for three-person households wasn’t low either, at 19.2 percent. Those with no one to help with household chores when sick reached 24.9 percent.

A middle school student is seen using her phone on her way home from school at a street in central Seoul on Nov. 4, 2024. [YONHAP]

Korea’s relative poverty rate — the percentage of households earning less than 50 percent of the median income — fell from 18.5 percent in 2011 to 15.3 percent last year. Economic poverty is decreasing, but relationship poverty is growing. Internationally, the numbers are stark.

The share of people who said they have no friends or family to rely on in times of need — 20 percent — is one of the highest among OECD member countries.

“People are missing in this hyperconnected society,” said Ju Kyong-hee, a professor of social welfare at Hanshin University. “Online, you can get deliveries and play games for 24 hours without leaving your room. It’s convenient to the point where you might not even recognize your own isolation — but that very convenience distances us from meaningful face-to-face communication and deep human relationships.”

“Technology makes connections easy,” Prof. Ju said. “But it also makes isolation just as easy.”

Posters for a campaign on loneliness by Seoul Metropolitan Government are seen at a subway station in Jung District, central Seoul, on April 1. [NEWS1]

JoongAng Ilbo’s special reporting team recently met with more than 30 middle and high school students in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, and the academy district of Pyeongchon New Town in Gyeonggi.

One second-year high school student from a four-person household said both his parents leave for work before him. On weekends, the family might eat one meal together, but they mostly communicate in a KakaoTalk family group chat.

He texts his younger sister even at home. After returning home late from his cram school, he scrolls through his phone before falling asleep. Many of the families the reporting team met had similar dynamics.

“When our daughter comes home, she goes into her room and shuts the door,” said one parent of a middle school student. “She doesn’t answer when we call her. It’s not that we have a bad relationship. I feed her dinner and send her off to cram school, but she’s often glued to her phone at the table.”

This year, the Data Ministry conducted its first-ever survey on loneliness. It found that 38.2 percent of people aged 13 or older said they feel lonely in daily life.

An older person is seen at her home, where she lives alone, in Dongdaemun District, central Seoul on Dec. 18. [KIM JONG-HO]

Nearly half those living alone — 48.9 percent — said they feel lonely. So did 34.9 percent of people living in households with four or more members.

Income made little difference. Among households earning over 6 million won ($4,040) per month, 33 percent said they felt lonely, compared to 57.6 percent of those earning under 1 million won.

In November 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared loneliness a global public health issue, warning that it is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Relationship poverty can lead to loneliness, anxiety, depression and isolation — and in severe cases, to complete withdrawal from society or suicide. In May, a mother and daughter in Iksan, North Jeolla, died by suicide.

When a community center employee visited their home, they responded with hostility: “How did you find out where we live?”

Students are seen on their phones on a street in front of a middle school in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2024. [YONHAP]

Last year, the Seoul Welfare Foundation surveyed 72 socially isolated residents — 69 of them refused contact or declined welfare services.

A 55-year-old Busan resident named Kang Gyeong-jung, who moved there from Seoul 20 years ago, struggles to find work or make friends. He has begun showing signs of depression.

Apart from church every two weeks and monthly hospital visits, Kang avoids contact with the outside world. He pushes people away when they approach him.

“Even in emergencies, I have no one to call — and I wouldn’t want to,” he said. “Being around others just makes me uncomfortable.”

Participants at a launching ceremony for a local community task force to combat loneliness hold up slogans at Incheon City Hall in Incheon on Dec. 11. [YONHAP]

Despite the seriousness of the issue, government measures remain slow. President Lee Jae Myung’s national agenda includes creating a deputy minister for loneliness.

But for now, the role is merely a concurrent position held by the first vice minister of health and welfare. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s policy briefing on Dec. 16 barely addressed the matter.

“Relational poverty emerges in industrialized countries,” said Chey Jean-yung, a professor of psychology at Seoul National University. “But Korea’s economic development, democratization and demographic shifts happened at an unusually fast pace. In the process, local communities collapsed, and social inclusivity declined — deepening relational poverty.”

An emergency suicide prevention hotline phone booth is seen at Mapo Bridge in Seoul on Sept. 25. [NEWS1]

In a JoongAng Ilbo survey marking its 60th anniversary in September, only 10 percent of respondents cited “inclusion” as the value they prioritized most. “Fairness” and “freedom” ranked much higher, with “inclusion” sixth overall.

Prof. Chey suggested creating more public parks to encourage people to leave their homes, expanding cultural programs like pottery and craft workshops at local libraries, and increasing door-to-door community services.

“We need to focus on loneliness and isolation as early-stage symptoms before solitary deaths occur,” said Chung Soon-dool, a professor of social welfare at Ewha Womans University. “The government and civil society must work together, and we should lower the barriers to mental health services within the community to improve access.”

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SPECIAL REPORTING TEAM [[email protected]]