The global pandemic has deepened social isolation to an all-time high in South Korea, according to a “2021 National Quality of Life Report” released by Statistics Korea. 

The social isolation level last year was 34.1 percent, up 6.4 percentage points from 2019 (27.7 percent) before the spread of the coronavirus. This is the highest level since statistics began being compiled in 2009.

Attendance at cultural and arts events decreased from 8.4 times
in 2019 to 4.5 in 2020. Leisure activities such as traveling have plummeted to half the level, according to the report.