Article from The Korea Economic:

Director Kim and Section Chief Lee skipping hweshik [after work office gatherings], eating lunch alone, leaving the office at the end of the work day is the default…7 of 10 people in their thirties are part of the “solo tribe”

34 year old IT worker Jungmo has lived alone since freshman year of college. It’s been ten years, but she doesn’t feel lonely. This is because she knows how to enjoy living alone. She works out by going jogging at dawn before work, and in the evening, she attends classes at a foreign language academy. She also bought a selfie stick for traveling by herself.

The “solo” lifestyle of this group is also the same at work. It’s the default to get off work right at the end of the work day, and if they can, they skip all the office gatherings. They don’t have any desire to build relationships with other people. If there are a lot of gatherings, they will cut down the number to fit their schedule.

At the new recruit training, Director Kim and Section Chief Lee learned that “social life will soon be the road I realize is a method for putting me down.” This lesson has recently paled. The realization has spread that there are “necessary conditions” at work, and “sufficient conditions” to fulfill in one’s life. The number of people in the solo tribe who want to focus on themselves even at work is increasing.

The road that the “solo tribe” chooses

Ms. Suh works at a distribution company. When she first started at the company, her good humor and hard work made her very popular among her seniors and juniors. However she recently joined the ranks of the solo tribe. The story goes like this. At the beginning when she first entered the company, she went to every single drinking party and gathering. It ruined the slender figure she had from her school days. After she broke up with her boyfriend, she stepped on the scale, and discovered she had gained 10 kg since her entrance into the company.

Nowadays, Ms. Suh secretly avoids her colleagues. She eats doshirak box lunches. She definitely doesn’t attend hweshik. After she gets off work, she goes to the gym. Her personal relationships have deteriorated, but she feels that her priority should be rediscovering her body and confidence.

Thirty year old Mr. Yun, who works for a small business, walks 20 minutes to a place where his work colleagues won’t be to eat lunch. There are two reasons why he is avoiding his colleagues. The first is for economic reasons. In any case, when a lot of people eat together, it costs a lot of money. Even if someone pays for his lunch, he still has to treat them to coffee. It’s becoming a burden on his low monthly salary. The second reason is he’s not very attached to his company. The pay is low, and there is a lot of turnover because the work is hard. Mr. Yun doesn’t plan to stay at the company long, and doesn’t care about creating personal relationships with his colleagues. At first, it was annoying that other people looked at him weirdly for eating alone, but now he can work out too, so it’s okay.

“If it’s said to be for the group”

Forty-nine year old Director Kim is one who has received the best marks when it comes to personal relationships during his work life. Recently, he has half-reluctantly become a member of the solo tribe. Two years ago, his junior, Director Park became the Department Head. Director Kim gave his junior some advice, thinking it would help his own job. However, the Department Head took a completely different approach, and his awkward workload became bigger. The Department Head also felt uncomfortable about “seniors who were out of the office.” Director Kim decided to become a member of the solo tribe. He tried to do the amount of work he was capable of, and didn’t go to lunch or dinner gatherings. “At first, it was awkward being by myself, but now I feel thankful that I can work like this.” Now, Director Park doesn’t ask where the work gathering is taking place, and quickly makes quiet preparations to get off work.

Restaurant menus are also changing to accommodate solo tribe members like Director Kim. Currently, salad to-go in a plastic box is the most popular menu item at a cafeteria in a Gwanghwamun, Seoul office building. There are five or six options on the Korean and Western menus, but this menu item is the most popular. There are two categories of consumers: female workers who care about their figure, and members of the solo tribe who go there to get lunch. As the number of people who sit to eat a salad increases, restaurants have replaced the usual tables for four people with tables for one person similar to those in hamburger shops.

A portion of the people get their salad to go and eat it elsewhere. Section Chief Lee said “I don’t like how tired I feel having to hang out with my co-workers even during lunch. Eating lunch by myself and listening to music or going on Facebook is a good way to recharge.”

“The solo tribe labels it burdensome”

Ms. Kim, who has a two year gap with the above person, works at a financial company. She is a case of a someone who works hard, and is trying to overcome the danger of being a member of the solo tribe. She took the entrance exam for the company and passed with flying colors, but it became known that her father was the vice president, so she was labeled as someone who parachuted in with connections. Her co-workers stealthily began to avoid her. She began to feel the difficulties of the working life as the number of people with which she could chat comfortably, and get advice from decreased.

She chose her method of attack. During the summer break, she went to the duty free shop and bought a few bottles of moisturizing cream. One by one, she went around to her colleagues, saying “last week must have been hectic,” and giving them the presents. After lunch, she even brought coffee, and cleaned not only the tables, but also took care of cleaning the refreshment room and conference room. Not long after, rather than being known as “the Vice President’s daughter,” she became known as “the hard-working junior who takes good care of her seniors.

Comments from Naver:

momo****:

What is wrong with being part of the solo tribe? It’s a word someone just made up, but in our country, we emphasize too much the need to sacrifice oneself for the coexistence of the group. It’s less efficient, stressful, and everything everyday is more frustrating. It’s reasonable to increase the time one takes for oneself. Don’t highlight it as if it’s a social issue.

tlfz****: [Responding to above]

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a good article. We also need rational individualism in our country. We spend a large part of our life at work, and if our work life doesn’t make us happy, it’s a pity for the life that we only live once. I don’t live for my company. Everyone have a good day^^

smar****:

Being alone is comfortable. There’s nothing good about getting closer to others.

kkyb****:

It was going well, and then at the end, it went wrong with the luxury moisturizing packs.

oid1****:

My life is more important, so I also want to be like this.

neoj****:

It’s not something to label as ‘solo tribe’ [with negative connotations]. We are changing for the better now. It was wrong that our country makes people invest a lot of their private time in their work. They’re robbed of the time they should be spending with their family. They do well at work, but many people’s relationships with their family is deteriorating.

rome****:

It’s really not easy to be a member of the solo tribe in our country. I’m okay, but around me, there are some nosy people, who would say this and that about eating by yourself. It’s just my personal style to feel more comfortable being alone. Just think about it from your perspective, and don’t listen to those other people who may judge you. I really hate the emphasis on hweshik.

xodn****:

Even if it’s just lunch, I’d rather eat by myself. It’s no fun, and I’m tired of the unsympathetic conversation. Getting off work? I gave up on this a long time ago. My goal is to get out early only on Fridays. For the heads of the department who see this, please don’t deliberately leave work to do. Finish it within the standard business hours, and then just go home. This way, the junior staff can also leave.

hwan****:

Looking back on my work life, even at the company, I didn’t skip hweshik, adjusted myself to the moods of my superiors, and worked hard. So, the president always said he would help me advance in my career, and spoke well of me. But that was it. My monthly salary remained the same, and I didn’t have two pennies to rub together when it came to vacation or holidays. Suddenly I realized the expression “Your kind [empty] words are good enough” doesn’t have any meaning. This is the first time I’m missing a hweshik. I will change from now on. I should only do as much as I’ve received.

theh****:

Wouldn’t it be desirable to get rid of the hweshik culture? When you hold a hweshik, you have to make or listen to pointless comments. Someone may get molested… The things you said to someone when you were close to them would be exposed when you are not close to them any more.

Comments from Daum:

배고프다님:

At the very end, besides the parachuting [nepotic appointment], everyone seemed like they were about to resign from their job

Maru님:

What is the main point of this piece??

피톤치드사랑님:

They wrote this article using some morning drama material, ke ke ke ke. Was it written by a reporter or a writer?

하늘냄새님:

Honestly, what value do hweshiks have? I attended hweshik for three years, but it’s just the same repeating cycle of listening to pedantic talk, and the violent behavior after getting drunk. What is there to learn from this? The luckiest would be to meet a boss who’s happy at home. It’s been a while since hweshik has turned into a means to vent for those bosses who aren’t properly respected at home. Instead of attending hweshik, studying and exercising is better for my life. In the future, this kind of lifestyle will become the general trend.

windy님:

First, do your work well, and also have good personal relationships. The hweshik they are talking about in this article is not the official company hweshik, but rather friendly hweshik gatherings among work acquaintances. In this case, it’s possible [not to attend], but if you don’t do your work well, and you completely skip all the hweshik, you’ll be fired.

뜨는소님: