Despite social pressure to leave home and “grow up,” a vast majority of Koreans in their 20s still live with their parents.

A 2022 survey found that 81 percent of South Koreans in their 20s lived with their parents — the highest rate among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

In Korea, these young adults, many of whom remain financially dependent on parents as well, are often labeled the “kangaroo tribe,” likened to baby kangaroos living in their mothers’ pouches. The term was once widely used with a pejorative tone, implying dependency, immaturity and a failure to launch.

But interviews by The Korea Herald with 14 Generation Z South Koreans suggest a different story — one shaped not by complacency, but by impossible housing costs, unstable careers, societal expectations and limited cohabitation options.

“Every time I feel the urge to move out, I look up rent prices to remind myself that I just can’t afford any,” said Lee, 26, a graduate student in psychology who works as a teaching assistant.

Living on the outskirts of Seoul, Lee commutes nearly three hours a day to school. The physical and emotional toll of the daily journey is compounded by the stress of cohabiting with her parents. Still, moving closer to campus is not an option. Even a modest one-room apartment can cost at least 700,000 won ($488) a month before maintenance fees. For someone funding graduate school on a teaching assistant’s stipend, it’s out of reach.

Yoon Do-won, 28, who works in real estate, said staying with his parents is a calculated financial move. “It’s better than paying 700,000 won for a tiny basement or rundown apartment,” he said. He plans to stay home for a few more years until he can afford a safe and comfortable place of his own.

Even Sung In-ho, a 28-year-old pharmacist — a profession considered one of the most stable and lucrative in Korea — says he can’t afford to move out. He and his girlfriend, both employed, are saving to buy a home. “If I move out now and start paying rent, it’ll take forever to afford my first home,” he said.

Apartment prices in Seoul, where most jobs are concentrated, have hit historic highs. According to a KB Real Estate report released in April, the average price of an apartment unit in the city has breached 1.3 billion won.

“It’s nice to live with a family that welcomes you when you arrive home,” said Park, 25, a design graduate who lives with her parents while job hunting. She says that eating meals together and being greeted by family each day brings comfort and a sense of stability.

Han, 23, a college graduate, said she has never felt the urge to live alone. “Even if I move out, I’d live with my sister,” she said, adding that having a family member nearby improves her emotional well-being and mental health.

“My friends all agree that it’s best to stay with our parents as long as we can — until they kick us out,” said Paik, 26, who is preparing to enter the UX design field.

Paik previously lived near her school but moved back home. Though her commute is now over 70 minutes, she says she doesn’t regret it. “When I weigh the options, the financial support, the emotional care, and not having to do everything alone, it all outweighs the benefits of living independently.”

For some, the security of living with parents outweighs the appeal of living independently.

“Crimes such as stalking, sexual assault and even murder targeting women who live alone have been rising,” said Shin, 28, who works in the service sector. Though she no longer lives at home, she wishes she did. “Living with family made me feel so much safer, just knowing someone was there when I got home.”

Lee Yu-na, 21, echoed that sentiment. “From what my friends tell me, mental wellness and safety are big reasons many women don’t move out,” she said.

Such fear is often shared by parents of daughters. A mother in her 50s, whose daughter is in her 20s, shared that she carefully checked the apartment’s location and security systems such as CCTV cameras or security guards when helping her daughter search for a place to live.

With frequent news reports highlighting crimes targeting women living alone, she said she would rather chip in to help her daughter settle in a safer place. Unless work or school commute requires it, she added that some parents would prefer their daughters to stay at home for longer, as it feels safer and more reassuring.

In South Korea, being a student typically implies financial support from family, but as the gap between education and employment grows harder to bridge, this period of dependency is stretching longer. According to Statistics Korea, 238,000 young people aged 15 to 29 had been unemployed for more than three years as of 2024, accounting for 18.4 percent of the total unemployed in that age group.

“Getting a full-time job is like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Jung Ye-won, 24, a university student in her final semester. “These days, if you want a job in Korea, you need at least one or two internships beforehand.”

Jung said that only one student in her department has secured a position so far. Most, including older students, are still waiting. She estimates the average age of first-time employees to be around 27, noting that even many people in their late 20s remain unemployed.

"Pretty much everyone I know is preparing for something: law school admissions, the Certified Public Accountant exam, or the bar exam,” said a 23-year-old HR intern surnamed Min, who previously spent years studying for the latter.

Min added that she once met someone who had been preparing for seven years. “That’s why so many people in their late 20s are still on campus,” she said.

With the willing support of their parents, some Gen Zers are choosing to delay launching their independent lives in favor of pursuing a more stable and desirable path.

“The moment you go online, you see countless success stories. That pressure pushes me to aim higher,” said an associate business consultant, 23, who wished to be identified as Young.

Though initially disappointed not to land her preferred job, she now sees her current position at a reputable consulting firm as a good fit. Still, the pressure to level up remains — especially when peers from her university secure more prestigious roles. Young is now preparing to apply for a master’s program to increase her chances, a decision that means she'll continue living with her parents for a while longer.

Yoon, 26, a graduate in political science, came to a similar conclusion. Realizing how bleak the job market was for social science majors, she applied to law school and now attends a prep academy that costs over $1,000 a month. Despite the cost, the academies are full of students — many of whom have left jobs or other graduate programs behind to pursue law.

According to the Association of Korean Law Schools, law schools received the second-highest number of applications in their history this year.

Some are setting their sights even higher. Kim, 23, who transferred to a college for teacher training, is now considering dental school, which would add another six years of study, if admitted. “I think I’d be fine as a teacher, but becoming a dentist would be ideal,” she said. Though aware of how competitive admissions are, she sees it as a worthwhile trade-off for long-term financial stability and social prestige.

All three, Young, Yoon and Kim were able to pursue further studies with the financial backing of their parents. They said they know it's already asking a lot — especially with their parents approaching retirement. Therefore, they each made an agreement with their families to give it one or two tries, and if they don’t get into a program after that, they’ll move on instead.

Ji, 24, who works in marketing, said the reason many Korean Gen Zers are not leaving their parents’ homes is partly due to the lack of alternatives, such as living with a romantic partner.

“Older generations still see cohabitation as a bad thing,” she said.

Having studied abroad in Germany, Ji was surprised to find that co-living among couples in their 20s was common there. In contrast, Korean society, still influenced by Confucian values, continues to stigmatize such living arrangements.

According to a recent report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 65.7 percent of South Koreans only support cohabitation if it is tied to plans for marriage. Just 36.9 percent approve of living together without that intention. Among those in their 20s, however, more than half — 50.7 percent — support non-marital cohabitation. The number drops significantly among older generations, to just 20.4 percent for those over 80.

Ji says she wishes for a society that offers more inclusive and flexible living options — not just for romantic partners, but for friends, roommates and other alternatives that could help young people gain independence without breaking the bank.

By Kim Ye-won, Jung Yu-jin