Men in their early 30s are applying for a grade 9 positions, the lowest level civil servants, in increasing numbers as while total applicants in number decreased from 105,831 in 2000 to 90,306 in 2001, men in this age group skyrocketed from five to 4,991 during the same period. There were 315 successful candidates last year compared with zero in 2000, and among them, the majority included experienced workers in conglomerates or small to medium sized companies according to the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs.
An experienced worker at a conglomerate identified as Kim resigned to start studying for the grade 9 examination at a city-run library adjacent to his house, motivated by a high school friend who graduated from a rival university and passed the exam after quitting working last year. "I would like to lead a peaceful and joyful life while spending quality time with my family as much as possible after marriage," said Kim.
Another experienced worker at a manufacturing firm for two years after graduation identified as "K" aged 32, who became a central government employee last December, said he was measurably satisfied with the job because it allows him to get out of the office quickly and avoid senior people's griping.
Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training's Kim Hyeong-man said with the gloomy prospect on the job market and competition getting hard since the IMF financial crisis, men in their early 30s tend to make an U-turn from big money making and fame, to enjoying a more relaxed and stable life.
According to Professor Ham In-hee of Ehwa Womans University's Department of Social Science the phenomenon belongs to plurality in pursuit of personal values rather than social success. She noted, however, it was not desirable in terms of national development as it came from knowledge-based youth trying to escape from "competition stress."
(Kim Su-hae, goodluck@chosun.com)
