Government to combat record rise of NEETs with virtual employment experience

20251020N Korean NEETs

South Korean Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon, center, participates in a conversation with young people about finding work. (South Korean government)

NAMI MATSUURA

SEOUL — The South Korean government is sounding the alarm about growing numbers of young people dropping out of the labor market, and seeking ways to reverse the trend that one top official told Nikkei could cause the country’s “extinction.”