Young South Koreans Are Allegedly Taking To The Internet Their Frustrations With The Country’s Society

Many South Koreans, most especially the younger generations, are using the internet to vent out their frustrations with the country's society through online forums, such as "Hell Chosun" and "Hell Korea," reported The Diplomat on Friday.

According to a recent article by Koo Se Woong in Korea Exposé, Hell Chosun (also Chosŏn, Choson, Joseon) is "an infernal feudal kingdom stuck in the nineteenth century."

Koo posts an image in his article showing a map titled "Hell Joseon: An Infernal Hellfire Peninsula," which shows that "[B]eing born in South Korea is tantamount to entering hell where one is immediately enslaved by a highly regulated system that dictates an entire course of life. Onerous education and service in the abusive military are the norm."

The big shots and A-list people reportedly get away with the country' system with their wealth and network, while the "commoners" work their way through their corporate jobs or "take refuge in the Fortress of Bureaucrats by taking the civil servant examination."

The Hell Chosun describes the present-day South Korea in the most upsetting and painful way, with some parts of it being evidently true, such as the hyper-competition among the youth - academically and at work - and the lack of permanent positions for newly graduated people to name a few.

Korea Times noted on Sept. 18 that the term "Hell Joseon" was mentioned 101,700 times on Twitter and in blog posts this year, with people-related keywords include "the public," "student" and "youth." Emotions linked with posts on Hell Chosun include hope, anger and crying.

Online community Hell Korea, created in May, reportedly has over 1,000 posts on its "best board," which shows the life of people in Korea and those who are already overseas who consider themselves having "escaped Korea." Topics include suicide, sex offenses, youth unemployment and the superficial society of the country.

For the followers of Hell Korea, "The best thing for a South Korean is never to be born; the second best is to die as soon as possible." For them, South Korea is now Daehan Mangguk: the Failed State of Korea.