South Korea, China see surge in paid chores and shared housing for young adults

In South Korea, a growing number of young single households are hiring paid domestic services to reclaim personal time. Jeong, a 30‑year‑old office worker in Seoul, pays about 50,000 won (≈900,000 VND) each week for a three‑hour cleaning visit, saying the service lets her sleep, watch movies or exercise. The trend reflects a rise to 8.045 million one‑person households in 2023, up 6.3% from the previous year, and a shift toward on‑demand services that now include laundry, pet care and waste sorting. Professor Choi Jong‑ryeol of Keimyung University notes these platforms act as reliable assistants for people living alone.

In China, mounting housing costs are prompting young adults to share apartments with strangers. Winnie Zeng, 25, reduced her rent by 450 NDT (≈1.7 million VND) by co‑living with an unfamiliar woman, while 39‑year‑old Morgan Pan, after his AI startup collapsed, cut his monthly rent by 1,200 NDT (≈4.5 million VND) through a similar arrangement. The practice has attracted massive online attention, with related topics garnering tens of millions of views on Weibo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu, highlighting a shift in spending priorities among uncertain‑income youth.