The author is a professor emeritus of sociology at Yonsei University.
When the U.S. sociologist David Riesman brought "loneliness" into public debate in the mid-20th century, he argued that modern people had become anxious about losing their place within the organizations they belonged to. In "The Lonely Crowd" (1950), he described how this anxiety produced an "other-directed" character type, shaped less by individual conviction than by concern for how others think and behave. For Riesman, this was the social psychology behind the rise of the lonely crowd in contemporary society.

In the 2020s, the economist Noreena Hertz renewed the discussion. In "The Lonely Century" (2020), she argued that neoliberal competition and digital forms of interaction have chipped away at face-to-face relationships and deepened loneliness. A society marked by isolation, she warned, reduces empathy, weakens communication and fuels hostility and resentment, conditions that strengthen extreme populism and destabilize democratic life.
These books come to mind following the government's release of the 2025 Social Survey results on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, 38.2 percent of Koreans aged 13 and older said they feel lonely. Of these, 4.7 percent said they often feel lonely and 33.5 percent said they sometimes do. The older the respondent, the more likely they were to report loneliness. Among those 65 or older, the figure reached 43.4 percent. This is the first year loneliness has been included as a survey category.

The findings on social networks are also striking. Some 5.8 percent of respondents said they have no one to rely on for help in specific situations and no one with whom they regularly interact. Those who lack meaningful contact and also report feeling lonely are classified as an at-risk group. They make up an estimated 3.3 percent of the population aged 13 and older, or about 1.5 million people.
International data points to a similar trend. In June, the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Connection released a report titled "From Loneliness to Social Connection." Surveys conducted between 2014 and 2023 found that 16.1 percent of women and 15.4 percent of men globally experience loneliness. The proportion is especially high among young people. Among respondents aged 13 to 17, 24.3 percent of girls and 17.2 percent of boys reported loneliness; among those aged 18 to 29, the figures were 16.8 percent and 17.4 percent. The commission interpreted this as evidence that younger generations may desire stronger social connections than they currently have.
These statistics together suggest that the 21st century has entered an era of loneliness. Sociologically, loneliness is both an individual and a social phenomenon. On the personal level, the poet Jeong Ho-seung captured a truth when he wrote, "We are human because we are lonely." Humans are solitary beings by nature. As long as we seek to live as agents of freedom, solitude is a condition. In an age of hyper-connectivity shaped by online networks, recovering a sense of solitude may help us rediscover meaning in our own lives.
Yet loneliness is also the beginning of social isolation. Loneliness leads to disconnection, and disconnection leads to isolation. Social isolation increases anxiety and depression, threatening not only mental health but physical well-being. It also weakens the sense of belonging that sustains community life and undermines the social integration essential to a healthy society. This is why loneliness cannot be left unattended.

Countries such as Britain, Japan, Denmark and Sweden have attracted attention for their policy responses. Britain appointed a minister for loneliness in 2018 by assigning the role to its culture secretary and launched a five-year plan called "A Connected Society." Japan appointed a minister for loneliness and isolation in 2021 and created a dedicated office within the Cabinet Secretariat. Denmark and Sweden h...

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