Heydays of Koreans born in 1958

Koreans born in 1958, or the year of the dog, are gaining high attention these days. One of their most common traits is their "high number of population," born as baby boomers after the Korean War. While attending elementary schools, they had to share overcrowded classrooms and wait in long lines in the toilet under the double or triple-shift schooling system. In middle and high schools, they were labeled as the "carousel generation" after the introduction of secondary school equalization policy. In addition, the sudden change in university entrance system brought about rumors claiming that the change was designed to give preferential treatments to Park Ji-man (born in 1958), the son of the then-President Park Jung-hee.

Life was not easy for Koreans born in 1958. To get a university admission, they had to go through cut-throat competitions to beat their overpopulated peers by taking two entrance tests; preliminary and main tests. They were faced with skyrocketing housing prices when they married. When crossing the 40s-line of age, they were forced to retire at the age of 45 when Korea was struck with foreign exchange crisis. Every step of their journey was stumbled by historical changes in the modern Korean society, and their path was often portrayed in culture. The novel "Minor-league" written by Eun Hee-kyung covers the life stories of Koreans born in the year of the dog. Poet Seo Jung-hong published his poems titled "1958, the Year of the Dogs." A creative dance and a documentary film were released by the same title.

Indeed, those years of hardship bred indomitable endurance and survival instinct. Those born in 1958 are playing pivotal roles in every corner of our society. An analysis of CEOs listed as directors incumbent in Korea's 100 largest companies showed that those born in 1958 were the highest at 14.1 percent. It was nine years ago when one out of 10 executives in large Korean companies were born in 1958. Those years of hardship really paid off.

The baby boomers born in 1958 are here to stay in the 20th National Assembly as well. These include the ruling Saenuri Party's newly-elected leader Lee Jung-hyun and Minjoo Party lawmaker Kum Bu-kyum, who both "resurrected" from their respective voting bases at the April general elections, Yoo Seung-min, Choo Mi-ae and Kim Sung-sik. After getting caught in the crossfire between the "386 Generation" juniors and the existing senior assemblymen, the "sandwiched generation" has finally met their long-last heydays. They were the ones who went through painstaking poverty and took a rollercoaster ride in Korea's turbulent modern history. Though nearing their 60s, a league of their own awaits them in the aging era.