'Kangaroo tribe' jumps as financial struggles curtail young Koreans' independence

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'Kangaroo tribe' jumps as financial struggles curtail young Koreans' independence

Published: 14 Apr. 2025, 15:50 Updated: 14 Apr. 2025, 18:52

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Young adults who live with and rely on their parents for a prolonged time, often collectively referred to as the “kangaroo tribe,” are becoming more common. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

After leaving their job, a 34-year-old surnamed Nam enrolled in graduate school, feeling there was no longer room for growth at work. Nam currently has no income and is living with their parents, which helps ease financial concerns. Nam is putting off marriage until after graduate school, saying it’s hard to go on blind dates without a job.

Another case is a 30-year-old surnamed Kim, who is preparing for the teacher certification exam while living at home. Kim’s parents cover tuition, allowance and living expenses.

“Whenever I say I’ll try to work part-time at an academy or study cafe, my parents tell me to instead use that time to study,” Kim said. Despite feeling guilty, Kim believes that studying is the best option for now.

These young adults who live with their parents for a prolonged time, often collectively referred to as the “kangaroo tribe,” are becoming more common. According to a report titled “Changes in the Life Course of Seoul Citizens and Risk of Poverty” released on Sunday by the Seoul Institute, 41.1 percent of Seoul residents born between 1981 and 1986 lived with their parents at the age of 35. This is nearly double the 20 percent observed among those born between 1971 and 1975. Nationally, the proportion increased 1.7-fold from 18.6 percent to 32.1 percent over the same birth cohorts. This basically means Korea is now seeing twice as many young adults living with their parents as a decade ago.

The rise in young adults living with their parents is attributed to delayed economic and household independence — namely, employment and marriage. The four key markers of transition into adulthood — graduating from school, getting a job, marrying and moving out — have all been steadily delayed between 1986 and 2021.

“In recent years, the average age of the first transition in each of these four life events has increased,” said Byun Geum-sun, a research fellow at the Seoul Institute. “This indicates a delayed transition into adulthood.”

The time taken from graduating from university to getting a first job has also increased by at least six months, according to Statistics Korea’s Economically Active Population Survey. As of 2024, it takes an average of 51.8 months to graduate — the longest on record. In 2007, when the data was first collected, the figure was 46.3 months. That’s the equivalent of more than an extra semester of university.

The delay continues after graduation. In 2024, the average time it took for a graduate to find their first job was 11.5 months. In comparison, it was 9.5 months in 2004.

The trend is expected to escalate. A growing concern is the increase in so-called resting youth, who are neither employed nor actively seeking work. According to a March survey by the Korea Employment Information Service, among 3,189 young adults categorized as “long-term resting,” the average time spent not working or looking for a job was 22.7 months — nearly two years. About 11 percent had been out of work for more than four years.

Delays in economic independence are compounded by even longer waits for household independence. The average age for a first marriage has climbed from the 20s to the 30s over the past two decades. In 2000, the average age for a first marriage was 29.3 for men and 26.5 for women. By 2024, these figures had increased to 33.9 and 31.6 respectively. The age at which women have their first child has also risen, from 27.69 in 2000 to 32.96 in 2023.

Experts identify economic challenges as the primary factor delaying independence.

“In the end, they’re not earning because they’re not employed, and housing prices are too high, so living with parents becomes the default choice,” said Lee Byoung-hoon, professor emeritus of sociology at Chung-Ang University.

Regional factors also contribute.

“Because companies increasingly prefer experienced workers, young people are taking longer to build up credentials, delaying graduation and employment, which in turn pushes back marriage and childbirth,” said Kang Dong-woo, a research fellow at the Korea Labor Institute. “And because good jobs are concentrated in the capital region, where housing costs are unaffordable, the proportion of young adults living with parents is especially high in Seoul.”

Experts agree that improving job opportunities is critical.

“We need to create more high-quality jobs that young people want and provide an environment where they can manage their income and life independently,” said Byun.

There are also concerns about the long-term impact of the kangaroo tribe phenomenon — that without policy intervention, the rise in multigenerational households could lead to a cycle of poverty.

“Unlike other countries, in Korea, co-residence with parents increases the risk of poverty,” Byun said. “In most cases, parents are supporting adult children. Unless they are high-income, this support comes at the cost of their own retirement security.”

“While today’s parent generation may still have assets to support their children, they will become more vulnerable as they age, with limited cash flow and increased susceptibility to health issues or other shocks,” Kang said. He warned that if these trends continue, “the quality of life for both generations will decline together.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY KIM YEON-JOO, IM SOUNG-BIN [[email protected]]