Korea: Farm life draws Seoul’s city slickers
Seoul Metropolitan Government recently announced an urban-rural exchange project
Kim Chan-ju
NHK World Anchor
Aug 3, 2020
Excerpt:
Baek Seo-won wipes away sweat at a pepper farm in Yanggu County, South Korea. It is the busiest time of year for the farm and Baek is new to the job.
“I knew farming was tough,” she says. “But now that I’ve actually tried it, I realize just how hard it really is.”
Baek is one of the many people who have swapped city life in Seoul for a new beginning in the countryside as the coronavirus pandemic changes the employment landscape.
South Korea’s economy has been struggling amid the pandemic. In June, the country recorded a 4.3% unemployment rate, the highest figure since data collection began in 1999.
Many people struggling to find jobs in major cities have turned to the countryside.
Oh Dong-min used to run a travel agency in Seoul. But his 30-year-old business went under in February due to the pandemic. Now, he works at an apple orchard.
