By Kim Cheong-won
Staff Reporter




Kim Ung-shik, a 31-year-old marketing manager at a major Korean conglomerate, heads to a fitness center near his office in Myongdong, central Seoul, almost everyday after work.
After sweating it out for an hour of exercise he doesn’t go directly. Rather, he speaks ``Ni Hao, ma?’’ meaning ``how are you’’ in Chinese, during an evening Chinese class at a private institution.

``The concept of `life-long working places’ has been an old joke among my generation. Organizations don’t and cannot guarantee an individuals’ future any more,’’ Kim told The Korea Times.

``Improving your competitiveness such as speaking many foreign languages is the only way to survive in a competition-fierce society,’’ he said.

``My other seniors at the company seem to be comfortable sitting late hours in the office even though there is no urgent task. But, I think it is much better to work out at a fitness center or learn Chinese,’’ Kim added.

Experts define people like Kim whose ages range between 26 and 35 as the ``5 Is’’ generation because their characteristics can be summarized at five key concepts _ individualized, innovative, inclined to fashion, into reality and intercultural.

``The 5 Is generation has experienced ``survival of the fittest’’ when the financial crisis hit many Asian nations including South Korea in 1997. They have witnessed their fathers, who once believed in the life-time job concept, getting laid off by financially-troubled companies during the period,’’ said Professor Kwon Up, from Keimyung University in North Kyongsang Province.

``Having seen the trend, the 5 Is generation learned a painful lesson that nobody, companies or big organizations, can guarantee their future. Thus, they trust only themselves rather than being royal to those organizations,’’ the professor said.

Confronted with the reality, most of 5 Is generation become so-called ``saladents,’’ derived by combining the terms; salaried man and student.

Lee Kwang-su is a saladent; working by day and studying at night after work to enhance his future.

Lee, a 30-year-old certified public accountant, has been sitting on a chair at a library during weekends to prepare for a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) test.

Although he passed this accountancy test three years ago, Lee isn’t satisfied.

Thanks to his extra efforts, he made it to the second phase of the CFA test last June and is now preparing for the last screening phase.

``Even in the case of some crisis moments, if you have competitiveness, you can survive. You have to upgrade your ability continuously,’’ Lee said.

Another characteristic of the 5 Is generation is an inclination toward fashion. Indeed, their shopping carts don’t roll only in Korea.

``I took a week vacation during the Christmas season to go on a `shopping tour’ of Hong Kong. As domestic importers have limited shopping lists and it is difficult to find something which fits my own taste, I go abroad to shop twice per year,’’ said a 32-year-old office worker in Seoul.

``Usually, many big-brand shops offer special Christmas prices which are sometimes at half price in Korea. So, it is even cheaper to buy goods abroad when you take every cost into consideration,’’ said the worker, who wants to be only identified by her family name, Hwang.

It is said the 5 Is generation’s fearlessness in going abroad is possible because many have experienced numerous cultures through so-called backpacking tours which have been popular among Koreans since the 1990s.

According to a recent survey by Cheil Communications, almost 47 percent of the 5 Is generation have overseas experience such as backpacking or taking a language course in English-speaking countries.

Seoul University professor Lee Yun-sok said it is nonsense to expect the 5 Is generation to undertake the concept of life-long loyalty to a workplace when that generation is focused on individualism.

``Rather, society should expect other aspects from the generation,’’ Professor Lee said.

``I think that the generation will play a crucial role in changing society into a more horizontal one and become the main force of society,’’ Lee said.

kcw@koreatimes.co.kr