{"id":2201468,"date":"2023-06-23T16:18:22","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T07:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201468"},"modified":"2023-06-26T17:35:30","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T08:35:30","slug":"won-for-all-all-for-won-why-some-young-south-koreans-embrace-frugality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/won-for-all-all-for-won-why-some-young-south-koreans-embrace-frugality\/","title":{"rendered":"Won for all, all for won: Why some young South Koreans embrace frugality"},"content":{"rendered":"
In the wake of escalating economic pressures and inflationary trends, many young South Korean are turning to a unique digital outlet for financial support: geojibang, or \u201cbeggars\u2019 room,\u201d a public chat room on KakaoTalk, the country’s ubiquitous mobile messaging app.<\/span><\/p>\n Geojibang, birthed <\/span>this year<\/span><\/a>, has become an online forum for young South Koreans to scrutinize their spending habits. Participants of this chat room ironically refer to themselves as \u201c<\/span>beggars<\/span><\/a>,\u201d an intentional acknowledgment of their financial status or lack thereof. They frequently share stories of their daily expenses and endorse thriftiness, often through harsh encouragement, to promote saving.<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, when the author shared in a geojibang forum about treating herself to a cocktail at a bar, it instantly elicited responses from other members. They encouraged her to \u201csimply go to bed\u201d and even provided homemade cocktail recipes for her to try.<\/span><\/p>\n The community operates under one fundamental principle: any expenditure beyond those for basic necessities is regarded as a transgression. This culture of frugality is starkly different from the <\/span>flexing culture<\/span><\/a> marked by excessive spending, causing some to wonder if the emergence of geojibang will permanently impact the lavish spending habits previously associated with young South Koreans.<\/span><\/p>\n The geojibang chat rooms have attracted a sizable audience of South Korean youth. With varying membership based on demographics like gender and age, some even sport waiting lists for interested entrants.<\/span><\/p>\n Scholars ascribe the burgeoning popularity of geojibang to a <\/span>shared sense of community and solidarity<\/span><\/a> within these online spaces, simultaneously bolstering an individual\u2019s resolve to economize.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEconomizing and keeping habits of thrift is a challenging task. So, young people have gathered together to create fun ways of doing it together. Geojibang, in essence, is the gamification of being thrifty,” Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer science at Inha University, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n