SEOUL --- Thirty years after South Korea became a democracy, voters born in the period go to the polls Tuesday frustrated over their prospects and demanding change as growth slows and job prospects fade. The decades-long "Miracle on the Han" — named after the river that flows through Seoul — propelled the country from a war-ravaged ruin to Asia's fourth-largest economy and the ranks of the OECD. Unemployment among youth — defined as those under 30 — has risen for five consecutive years to hit an all-time high of 9.8 percent in 2016, more than double the overall average. With their entry into the workforce indefinitely delayed, college graduates spend years filling out job forms. "I think the biggest problem is inequality," said Park Hye-shin, a 27-year-old student at Hankook University of Foreign Studies.

Source: The China Post May 08, 2017 06:22 UTC