Kkondae (꼰대) Culture and South Korean Youth : Untangling a Micro and Macrosocial Suicide

Anderson, Bryce Matthew (author)

This study investigates the interplay between anomie and fatalism in understanding the high suicide rates among young adults in South Korea. Utilizing Émile Durkheim’s suicide typology, the research explores how societal expectations, enforced by the older generation through the concept of kkondae, contribute to the experience of normlessness (anomie) and oppressive regulation (fatalism) among young people. Through qualitative interviews with South Koreans aged 20-30, the study uncovers the significant stress these individuals face due to conflicting cultural values. These pressures, deeply rooted in South Korea’s rapid postwar development and history, create a tension between adhering to traditional collectivist values and pursuing individual autonomy, leading to feelings of alienation and disconnection. The study posits that anomie and fatalism, typically seen as opposing forces in Durkheim’s theory, can coexist within individuals, shaping their responses to societal pressures and contributing to suicidal behaviour. By foregrounding the voices of young South Koreans, this research challenges rigid theoretical frameworks and offers a nuanced understanding of the complex social dynamics influencing suicide. The findings emphasize the need for suicide prevention strategies that account for the related effects of anomie and fatalism and address the generational and cultural tensions exacerbating these conditions. This study contributes to the broader discourse on suicide by advocating for culturally sensitive approaches that prioritize local experiences and perspectives.

• Language: English
• Keywords: kkondae, suicide, fatalism, anomie, cultural ambivalence, Durkheim
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 17.03.2025
• Number of pages: Str. 305-342
• Numbering: Vol. 13, no. suppl.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178258
• ISSN: 2232-5131
• eISSN: 2350-4226
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4312/as.2025.13.sup.305-342
• Publication date in RUL: 22.01.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Asian studies
• Publisher: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-5131
• COBISS.SI-ID: 265206272

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Kultura kkondae (꼰대) in južnokorejska mladina : razpletanje mikro- in makrosocialnega samomora

Abstract

Študija raziskuje preplet anomije (izkušnje pomanjkanja normativnosti) in fatalizma pri razumevanju visokih stopenj samomorilnosti med mladimi odraslimi v Južni Koreji. Z uporabo tipologije samomora Émila Durkheima proučuje, kako družbena pričakovanja, ki jih starejše generacije uveljavljajo prek koncepta »kkondae«, prispevajo k izkušnji pretirano stroge regulacije in pomanjkanja normativnosti (anomije) ki med mladimi vodi v fatalizem. S pomočjo kvalitativnih intervjujev z Južnokorejci in Južnokorejkami, starimi od 20 do 30 let, študija razkriva velik pritisk, ki ga mlajši posamezniki in posameznice doživljajo zaradi nasprotujočih si kulturnih vrednot. Ti pritiski, globoko zakoreninjeni v eksplozivnem povojnem razvoju in zgodovini Južne Koreje, ustvarjajo napetost med spoštovanjem tradicionalnih, na pomenu skupnosti temelječih vrednot in iskanjem individualne avtonomije, kar vodi v občutke odtujenosti in nepovezanosti. Avtor trdi, da lahko anomija in fatalizem, ki sta v Durkheimovi teoriji običajno obravnavana kot vzajemno nasprotujoča si koncepta, sobivata v posameznikih oziroma posameznicah in oblikujeta njihove odzive na družbene pritiske ter na ta način prispevata k samomorilnemu vedenju. S poudarjanjem glasov mladih Južnokorejcev in Južnokorejk ta raziskava podaja kritiko rigidnih teoretskih okvirov in ponuja bolj poglobljeno razumevanje zapletenih družbenih dinamik, ki vplivajo na samomor. Ugotovitve poudarjajo potrebo po strategijah preprečevanja samomora, ki upoštevajo povezane učinke anomije in fatalizma ter obravnavajo generacijske in kulturne napetosti, ki te razmere še zaostrujejo. Ta študija prispeva k širšemu diskurzu o samomoru z zagovarjanjem kulturno občutljivejših pristopov, ki v ospredje postavljajo lokalne izkušnje in perspektive

• Keywords: kkondae, anomija, fatalizem, samomor, nasprotujoče si kulturne vrednote, Durkheim