Nearly half of Korean workers now juggle multiple income streams as daily expenses outpace earnings
When 30-year-old Kim wraps up her full-time marketing job at 6 p.m., her day is only half finished. Three evenings a week, often including weekends, she rushes across Seoul to tutor middle and high school students in English.
“I’ve been tutoring for seven years,” she said. “With the 3 million won ($2,074) I earn from my main job, I feel like I’ll never be able to buy a house or start a family. Working one job just doesn’t seem enough for the future anymore."
For 32-year-old Lee, a salesperson at a major conglomerate, nights are spent on his laptop, uploading and registering Korean beauty products on Amazon. The work is tedious and the platform’s standards demanding, often leaving him stressed. Still, he says he has little choice.
“After rent, groceries and the occasional meal out, there’s barely anything left to save,” he said. “This isn’t about ambition. It’s a necessity.”
Kim and Lee are far from outliers.
Continue Reading on The Korea Herald
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.