Peck Cho on why South Koreans are unhappy despite their success — Ep. 116

At Korea Pro’s first Seoul Circuit dinner of the year this month, Peck Cho joined Managing Editor John Lee for a wide-ranging conversation on South Korea’s “happiness paradox” — why life satisfaction has stagnated despite rising wealth, safety and global influence. The discussion examined how purpose, independence and social trust have eroded amid job precarity, hyper-connectivity and changing family and community structures, and why these pressures are being felt most acutely by younger generations. In this episode, we share the moderated portion of the event. About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly conversation hosted by Korea Risk Group Executive Director Jeongmin Kim, Managing Editor John Lee and correspondent Joon Ha Park, diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday. This episode was recorded on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. Audio edited by Alannah Hill