In a unique approach to understanding and addressing severe social withdrawal among young people, several parents in South Korea are willingly locking themselves inside tiny, isolated cells at a facility known as the “Happiness Factory.” These cells, no bigger than store cupboards, have no phones or laptops and feature only bare walls and a feeding hole in the door connecting them to the outside world.
Despite wearing blue prison uniforms, the parents are not inmates but participants in a “confinement experience” designed to help them understand the isolation felt by their children, many of whom have withdrawn entirely from society. The term ‘hikikomori,’ originally from Japan, describes these reclusive young individuals. It was coined in the 1990s to refer to severe social withdrawal among adolescents and young adults. A recent survey by the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare revealed that over 5% of respondents aged 19 to 34 live in isolation, amounting to approximately 540,000 individuals nationwide.
Since April, these parents have been part of a 13-week parental education program funded and organized by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Korea Youth Foundation and the Blue Whale Recovery Centre. The program aims to equip parents with better communication skills to effectively engage with their socially withdrawn children. Participants spend three days at the facility in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province, experiencing the same type of confinement as their children.
The initiative’s goal is to provide parents with a firsthand understanding of the emotional and psychological experiences their children endure. By immersing themselves in this isolation, parents gain deeper insights into the challenges of social withdrawal, fostering empathy and better communication with their children.
South Korea has also one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Last year, the South Korean government implemented a five-year plan to address mental health, including biannual check-ups for people aged 20-34.
