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tv   Asia Insight  PBS  May 10, 2017 6:30pm-7:01pm PDT

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the economic gap in south korea is becoming a serious issue. over their lifetimes, employees of smaller enterprises reportedly earn only half of those working for the major firms. with four major companies
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comprising 60% of south korean's gdp, a person's success in life is determined by the size of the firm they work for. new graduates as well as continuing job seekers are applying for major firms heating up competition. only one out of more than 700 applicants will be accepted by the very top firms. abandoned generation has become a buzz word referring to young people who had to give up something important because they couldn't land desperation radio, an online radio program that began in august, 2015, has become the talk of the town. [ speaking foreign language ]
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>> this woman became an act activity two years ago. se she started the radio to discuss the plight of the young people. [ speaking foreign language ]hes the plight of the young people. [ speaking foreign language ] during the program, d.j.'s read out letters from young people about their frustrations with society and their life in poverty. the program offers no criticism or advice. they say the most important goal of the program is to convey reality and raise awareness of their problem. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]
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>> young people who fail to attain stable work cannot achieve their life goals and are unable to aspire to a better future. only more competition awaits them in society. this episode follows young south koreans doing everything they can to [ speaking foreign language ]
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this girl came back to south korea last year after studying abroad which had been her childhood dream. [ speaking foreign language ] >> despite applying to 40 firms, she has only been interviewed by eight. [ speaking foreignanguage ] >> and several interviews she has received the same shocking comment. [ speaking foreign language ]
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[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> most young people take their
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resume photo at a full-fledged studio. the shoot cost $70 job hunting costs at least $2,500 u.s. per year. intensive courses and certification cost the same amount as two months salary at a small enterprise. as in her case, many firms do not accept certifications obtained overseas. [ speaking foreign language ]
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♪ >> several days later, she
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learned that she didn't advance from the interview. the unemployment rate for young people stood at 12.5% in february, 2016. that's the worst figure since 1999 when a new statistical method was employed. this man is an economist and professor emayor tus at seoul university. he served adds prime minister in 2009. [ speaking foreign language ]
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[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]
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>> because the south korean economy depends on major firms and conglomerates, young people continue to seek jobs at such firms. [ speaking foreign language ] >> he just graduated from university. he's concentrating his job hunting efforts on major firms.
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on this day, he got together with peers who are also aiming for similar jobs. all the conversation was related to job hunting. >> can they really land jobs at major firms? these young job seekers know they face unfavorable odds, but with success on the line, they can't give
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[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]
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[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> this man is the first son in a family that runs a package manufacturing business. he grew up bearing the family's expectations on his shoulders.
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his life began going astray in the summer of his senior year. he sudden dily lost the ability to read. he says it was a psychological disorder caused by stress. after that, he got into college but soon dropped out. his parents got divorced and now he lives alone while working part time. he makes $5 an hour at his part-time job, that means no matter how hard he works, he can only pay for rent, food, and counseling. [ speaking foreign language ]
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>> in south korea, male citizens must complete mandatory military service by the age of 30. this is a difficult prospect for him since he has little control over his life. he lives in an apartment behind a shopping district. the bathroom and kitchen are shared. each bedroom is about five square meters. rent is $230 u.s. a month. there are few apartments that are cheaper or smaller. he says he can only think about surviving each day.
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[ speaking foreign language ] ♪ >> interviews are the final stages of the job-hunting process, that's why the prestigious university offers special courses to prepare for
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them. on this day, students practiced interviewing each other. any student or graduate of the university can participate in this [ speaking foreign lguage ] [ speaking foreign language ]
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[ speaking foreign language ] >> this man once worked at a small firm, but he quit two years ago and began job hunting again. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]
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[ speaking foreign language ] >> he has never stopped living with his parents. his two older sisters live here as well. his father, who is 62 years old, still works night shifts as a security guard. and his mother works part time at a supermarket. his sisters also work at
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companies. had he been contributing to the family finances yl he quit his job. he also depends on his parents to pay for all his job-hunting costs. now two years into his path to reemployment he says his family has begun to avoid talking about his job-hunting efforts. [ speaking foreign language ]
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[ speaking foreign language ] >> father and son spend the aft afternoons like this every they hardly ever talk. his father says he keeps quiet to avoid pressuring him. he writes resumes to reassure his father. he's sent resumes to more than 100 companies in two
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[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]
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[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]
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>> he will turn 30 next year and says if he can't lead a prestigious job before then he will find a new path to happiness while working at an ordinary job. he vocal lies young people's feelings on desperation radio has decided to rung for public office. the listeners who want to build their own futures are supporting her. [ speaking foreign language ]
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>> this abandoned generation of young south koreans has had no choice but to give up on their dreams amidst a widening economic gap. the ideals that they had envisioned while studying hard for the competitive school entrance exams are crumbling before their eyes. but in order to survive each day, they continue to sacrifice and work hard in hopes of creating a bright future for themselves.
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