Having a different approach to spend a good leisure life

Professor Lee Chul-won (Yonsei University) talks about the true meaning of leisure. Photo by Lee Min-jeong.

Experts say the distinctive features of Korean students’ leisure require a change of approach. Professor Lee defined the true meaning of leisure as an activity which accompanies self-improvement and management.
“Taking a nap or watching TV could also be defined as a leisure activity for someone,” Lee said. “However, the reason why people do not regard these actions as productive is because those activities have low achievements in terms of self-improvement.”
According to the thesis “The Comparative Study for Leisure Life between Korean and German Students: Focused on Female University Students” published by Kim Chung-woon, a scholar in Cultural Psychology specializing in Leisure, though Korean female university students enjoy playing online games and surfing the Internet, these types of activities can be seen as “enforced leisure,”—in other words—activity to simply kill time.
“It is hard to say indoor leisure activities, which are the most preferred type of leisure for many Korean young people, are worse  than outdoor activities,” Lee said. “However, if the activities are done passively with the intention to kill time, it is meaningless.”
As many university students lack the experience in leisure education, professionals added that knowing the importance of leisure during schoolyear is also critical.
“Even though the time and money is given, a satisfying leisure life does not just happen, especially when the person is not aware of why and how to enjoy.” professor Choe said.
To the questions asking what to do, or how to enjoy leisure, Lee suggested the following.
“Just as we plan our daily lives, keeping an 'leisure diary' could be helpful. The first step is to find the type of leisure to enjoy and make plans about practicing it. Second, feel the happiness by getting deeply engrossed in that activity. Lastly, evaluate the process and make new plans that encourage self-growth.”
This special edition focused on Korean university students’ leisure life, and the general reviews of students’ perception of leisure. In the next issue, the Ewha Voice will cover Germany’s supportive leisure environment by visiting leisure specialized facilities there, including a library and sports center on campus.

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