My name is Un Jeong Ko and I’m a social designer currently based in London. I’ve just embarked on Enrol Yourself, a 6-month learning journey that is shaped around the questions that participants themselves generate. My learning question is: ‘How far is it possible to build a meaningful, connected, socially impactful life that is also in-between, uprooted and transitional?’ As a first step, I’m keen to speak to people for whom this question also resonates. Have you moved a lot between countries and cities? Have you ever felt unsure about where to settle? Do you feel conflicted about where ‘home’ really is, and unsure about how to create a positive social impact given your transitional lifestyle? If these questions are ringing bells, please read on. In the first of several blog posts that will document my learning journey, I share my story and invite you to share yours.
I’ve been living in London for 5 years now. I celebrate my new life in this city every year on 28th July, reflecting on what I have achieved and how far I have come.
From an early age, I wanted to live abroad. While growing up, I felt stuck, frustrated, angry and limited; a deep part of me wanted to escape my family and my home country. I felt that living elsewhere would be the only way in which I could truly become the person that I wanted to be. The idea of leaving gave me hope.
I am from South Korea, and grew up in a coastal city called Busan. At the age of 18, I moved to Seoul to study design, later working in the creative industries. I then moved to the US and travelled around, before settling in London in 2013 and embarking on a career as a social designer. I was drawn to the diversity and energy of London, and the romanticism of its rainy days. The city seemed to lean towards the future and bustle with a sense of possibility. It felt like a promising crucible for change, activism and innovation.
A sense of conflict: Caught between two countries
After so many years living away from my home country, I have conflicted feelings about it. I constantly think about and miss the friends and family that I left behind. I also feel pride in my South Korean identity. South Koreans are passionate people, as evidenced by events throughout our history — from the Korean independence movement that began on 1st March 1919, which was one of the first public displays of resistance during the Japanese occupation of Korea, to the recent Candlelight Revolution of 2016, when citizens united to call for the resignation of the former president Park Geun-hye. Powerful instances of collective action have built the country that we know today.
On the other hand, South Korea faces many serious social challenges. Employees are expected to work very long hours, usually to the detriment of their own physical and emotional wellbeing. This impacts negatively on family life and generates widespread stress-related illnesses. These issues have their roots in an education system that pushes students to study excessively; as a student, it was ‘normal’ for me to finish my school day at midnight. Moreover, South Korea is plagued by inequality. Our healthcare is world-renowned, but 94% of hospitals are privately owned, making healthcare inaccessible and unaffordable for poorer sections of society. Young couples are opting not to have children out of a fear that they will not have enough money to raise a family, while high suicide rates amongst elderly people have been linked to the isolating effects of extreme poverty. Of course, many of these challenges are not unique to South Korea, but endemic to countries around the world.
I found these issues upsetting while I was living there, and felt powerless in the face of them. I heard a lot of ‘that’s just the way it is’ and ‘why can’t you just do what others do?’ I felt suffocated, and didn’t want to accept things that didn’t make sense to me.
I now work as a social designer in London, using design to create positive social impact. I love my job and believe deeply in what I do, but I am filled with uncertainties about the future. Do I want to continue building a life that is far away from my family, close friends and things I love about my country? Will I become disconnected from the people I have left behind? Should I be applying the skills and experiences that I have gained as a social designer to the deep-seated challenges facing my home country?
Faced with these questions, I have started to wonder whether there is a way to live between the things I love and care about. Perhaps I don’t have to go back to South Korea right now, and don’t have to leave for good either. Perhaps I can still live a meaningful life that embraces the transnational identity and perspectives that I have gained, without committing to one place or another. What might a purposeful, meaningful, in-between life that delivers positive social impact look like?
Would you like to share your thoughts and experiences?
I’d like to open up these personal questions and invite in other perspectives and voices. I want to speak with those who are in a similar position to me. Are you someone with a desire to impact your society or community in a positive way, while living in a country or city that is not ‘home’? Have you moved from one place to another, and if so, why? What were your motivations? Are you in transition, and undecided about where to settle? What are your hopes and plans for the future? What kind of positive social impact would you like to bring about, and what kinds of barriers and enablers do you think will help and hinder you?
I see this short piece of research as an opportunity both to share the frustrations that come along with transitional, in-between lifestyles and identities, and to celebrate and learn about the benefits and opportunities that they can offer too. My areas of enquiry will include:
- Notions of home and belonging
- Experiences of, and motivations behind, movement between countries and cities
- The relationship between change and transition and concepts of identity
- Plans and hopes for positive social impact
Contact me on unjeongo@gmail.com if you want to share your stories over a cup of tea (or virtually), know someone who might be relevant, or have any suggestions about books, articles, projects and anything else that might be valuable for my learning journey.
