Why Young Koreans Love to Splurge

IN 2017, YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD FIRED BACK at an Australian millionaire who chided them for “spending $40 a day on smashed avocado and coffees” and still expecting to be able to buy a home. But in South Korea, a generation of frustrated young people is reclaiming the idea of frivolous expenses—from cab rides to expensive sushi—as a psychological survival tool dubbed shibal biyong.

Loosely translated to “fuck-it expense,” the term is a compound noun combining (a swearword for frustration) and (expense). It first appeared in late 2016, with the earliest tweet about it referring to “an expense that I would not have spent if I weren’t under stress,” such as “an impulsive food