Episode Details

In South Korea, a quiet countercurrent is pulling young people away from the city and back to the land. Known as kwichon, the movement reflects post-pandemic disillusionment with precarious urban work and the grind of corporate life, especially within the country’s powerful chaebol. In this episode, we explore why the government is encouraging this return to rural life, how new farmers are being trained to grow food and sell it online, and what happens when digital natives meet long-established village traditions. As hundreds of thousands test the promise of the countryside, the story reveals both the hope and the friction involved in trying to rebuild rural communities—and redefine success—far from the city.

https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/09/01/young-koreans-are-moving-to-the-countryside-to-farm