At major university libraries in Seoul, about half of the books undergraduate students borrowed the most last year were works on the themes of "loss," "violence," and "anxiety." Analysts said the psychology of the young generation, struggling with an extreme job crunch and an uncertain future, is clearly reflected in their reading habits.
According to each university on the 6th, the most borrowed book by undergraduates last year at the Seoul National University Central Library was One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature.
One Hundred Years of Solitude depicts the rise and fall of the Buendía family over seven generations against the backdrop of the fictional Latin American town of Macondo. It is regarded as a work that captures the turmoil of Colombian society from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s and the solitary fate of individuals within it.
Next, Han Kang's The Boy Is Coming ranked second and The Vegetarian ranked third. No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu, a writer who explored the turmoil and nihilism of postwar Japanese society, ranked fifth.
At Korea University, the top spot went to Why Fish Don't Exist, an essay by American writer Lulu Miller. True to its subtitle, "A story of loss, love, and the hidden order of life," the book traces the search for order amid chaos and is cited as essential reading among young people lately. Along with works by Han Kang, titles dealing with life's paradoxes and ruptures dominated the upper ranks, including Yang Gui-ja's Contradictions (No. 4) and Kim Cho-yeop's If We Cannot Move at the Speed of Light (No. 6).
A similar pattern appeared at Yonsei University's library. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, a world-renowned writer from the Czech Republic, ranked third. This book also deals with anxious love and wounds amid the violence of war. Contradictions and Why Fish Don't Exist also made the list, Koo Byung-mo's The Old Woman with the Knife ranked seventh, and Françoise Sagan's Do You Like Brahms? ranked eighth.
Experts say this reading trend reflects the harsh social and psychological conditions young people face.
A frozen job market is the decisive factor. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) "Employment Trends for Nov. 2025," the employment rate for young people ages 15 to 29 was 44.3%, down 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier, marking a decline for 19 straight months. In particular, the number of people in their 20s who said they were "just resting" without job seeking or studying reached 409,000 in a year.
Heo Chang-deok, a sociology professor at Yeungnam University, said, "As a rapidly changing social environment concentrates choice and responsibility on individuals, more young people are feeling anxiety and a sense of loss," and added, "In the especially sensitive period when they must decide on their path, relationships, and values upon entering college, a tendency emerges to try to understand themselves through books."
Kwak Geum-joo, a psychology professor at Seoul National University, cited the accumulation of uncertainty about the future as a key factor. "The disruption of campus life during COVID-19 affected students' emotions, and while competition continues, hope for the future has diminished," Kwak said. "In this environment, narratives dealing with loss and anxiety appear to resonate."
Another notable phenomenon is that older steady sellers are being read repeatedly more than new releases. Contradictions, which ranks high in loans, had its first edition in 1998, and One Hundred Years of Solitude was first published domestically in 2000. The interpretation is that in an age flooded with information, there is a stronger tendency to sort out one's emotions through the deeper narratives of vetted classics rather than new books that are lightly consumed.
Lee Byung-hoon, an emeritus sociology professor at Chung-Ang University, said, "As communities weaken and individuals' sense of isolation grows, the desire to find an exit through books is being reflected," and explained, "The loneliness and anger of Korean society are appearing in the form of a reappraisal of literary works, and this suggests that the pathological signs across society are intensifying."
Choi Hang-seop, a sociology professor at Kookmin University, said, "The shift toward an isolated society where trust and cooperation have disappeared is being reflected in reading trends," and predicted, "Unless there is a dramatic change in a competition-centered social structure, the popularity of books themed on anxiety and loss will continue for the time being."