South Korea plans to pay $500 per month to shut-in young people to encourage them to go to work, return to school or restore their daily lives, Business Insider reported.

In South Korea, there is a trend known as ‘hikikomori’ which describes young adults, mostly men, in their teens, 20s and 30s who reside alone or, more often, stay holed up in a bedroom at their parents’ home. Hikikomori essentially means “to pull back” and “shut oneself in”. South Koreans started to use the term in the early 2000s, and, following the Covid-19 pandemic, it is still popularly used today.

Youths ages nine to 24 are eligible for the money. They won’t have to prove they are going outside. The government noted that Korea has approximately 338,000 people between 19 and 39 who have become “hermit-type loners.”