South Korea fights loneliness with help of culture

By Alimat Aliyeva

Due to the widespread sense of loneliness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cultural Discourse Project was launched in South Korea to address and alleviate this issue through culture, Azernews reports.

This initiative aims to use cultural interactions as a means of combating loneliness and strengthening social connections among citizens.

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism last year, seven out of 10 Koreans regularly experience feelings of loneliness, indicating that loneliness is becoming increasingly common. The ministry added that if loneliness is not addressed, it could lead to not only emotional depression but also social isolation and detachment.

Research shows that the social costs of nearly 340,000 young people who are isolated amount to about 7.5 trillion won (approximately 5.4 billion US dollars) each year. This suggests that society should make concerted efforts to tackle this problem through policy measures.

The Ministry considers culture as a potential solution to this issue and believes that the positive influence of cultural content can enhance citizens’ well-being and happiness.

According to Minister of Culture Yoo In-cho, the Ministry is focused on developing cultural policies that can provide practical and alternative solutions to social challenges.

"We will harness the positive power of culture to improve the happiness and life satisfaction of citizens while addressing various societal issues," he said.

As an initial step, the Ministry plans to present experiences of relationship-building through the arts and humanities as part of the Cultural Discourse Project, highlighting the importance of communication in reducing loneliness. Numerous cultural events are also planned across different regions of the country.