Although much of the sentiment of the article is correct, the author seems to be trying really hard to push a narrative (suicide by being attacked by social media followers, really?). Also, less desire to marry is certainly not exclusive to Korea. Same thing in the U.S., and probably most of the rest of the developed world as well. I'd still bet that the average Korean is more interested in marriage than the average westernized feminist American, but that's just me guessing.<p>In any case, it's most certainly true that life is hard in Korea if you're not in the top 10% or so. They've got among the most competitive (pre-college) education systems in the world that in my opinion is more tantamount to torture because 11 year kids are literally at cram schools until 10-11pm at night. Getting into the right university is extraordinarily competitive and basically determines your future.<p>And then the job market is extremely competitive, with probably among the longest hours and worst working conditions as far as office jobs go. If you're only working 9:30am-5:30pm, you're considered lucky and probably working at a foreign company. You've got to be completely subservient to your boss, and there's always some upper manager who makes the atmosphere toxic. If you're a woman, you'll basically get pressured to leave as soon as you have a baby. And buying a home - a prerequisite for a man to marry in Korean culture - has gotten unaffordable unless your parents can subsidize you. And of course tack on 2 years of military service, so most Korean men don't even start their first job until their 27 or so.<p>It's no surprise to me that Korea has the highest suicide rate in the world, and that people are choosing to drop out of this cutthroat rat race. I spoke to an expat with kids who's lived here in Korea for the last 20+ years who told me the younger generation has basically given up on finding a good job and buying a home, focusing more on travel and experiences. Perhaps an exaggeration, but not completely removed from reality.<p>In Korea's defense, I see the same pattern in the U.S. (thanks baby boomers), just maybe not as extreme. Although university is perhaps getting more expensive in Korea, it's certainly nowhere near the extreme that it is in the U.S. And at least Korea has a very good universal healthcare system. Similar to the U.S., I think the only hope of real change is for the baby boomers to retire or get out of politics and for the younger generation to take over. Let's call a spade for a spade here - baby boomers created this mess (whether we're talking the U.S. or Korea), and they're not going to bring us out.