Melting Labour, Welfare State Drift, and the Rise of Youth Precariat in South Korea: Gender, Class Perception, and Fragmented Solidarity- Professor Sophia Seung-yoon Lee, Chung-Ang University Seoul
Thursday 30 April 2026, from 12:00–13:00
The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL) King’s Colleage London
Abstract
This talk examines how South Korea’s compressed welfare state development, designed around standard employment relationships, has failed to adapt to today’s “melting labour” – work characterized by the dismantling of boundaries surrounding traditional employment. As welfare state “drift” widens the gap between changing forms of work and existing social protection institutions, a growing share of young workers find themselves trapped in persistent precarity. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS), this presentation traces five distinct trajectories of precarious work among youth aged, revealing that over one-third remain in persistently precarious conditions. The analysis further uncovers a striking gender dimension: while young women have steadily increased their share of stable employment, young men now face disproportionately higher rates of precarity. This divergence shapes not only subjective class identification but also perceptions of upward social mobility – precarious young men report markedly lower expectations for mobility and deeper institutional distrust than their female counterparts. The talk situates these findings within the broader context of South Korea’s recent political polarization, where gendered experiences of precarity are fueling divergent political orientations and issue-based mobilization among the young generation.
Seminar format:
• 40-minute presentation
• 20-minute Q&A and discussion
In-person location: Melbourne House, 1st Floor, M1.06
Online: Please use the link below.
