We have moved beyond the authoritarian era, which was maintained by a top-down oppressive mechanism, to a new era of the individual, where individuals become self-reliant through the power of mutual networks.
Amidst these changes, we observed, at various levels, the process by which previously powerful authority was naturally fragmented and fused, and the process by which authority was created and preserved through new recognition systems.
We foresee the end of filial piety, the evolution of the cooperative family, and the emergence of new individuals, unprecedented in AI-optimized systems.

In this book, these new individuals are defined as 'nuclear individuals'.
We observe how they are born within the context of social structural change.
And we want to examine how the solidarity of nuclear individuals seeks and agrees on a new way of life.
In this age of the nuclear individual, we want to share with you our vivid observations of life, about the language skills necessary for survival, the embrace of diversity, and how to age wisely.
---From the "Prologue"

If Western individualism emerged as an extension of humanity and humanism, Korean individualism emerged as a counter-dynamic to authoritarianism.
If you look at a newspaper article from 1995, there is a sentence that says, "There are concerns about social collapse due to the spread of individualism."
According to the article, at the time, individualism was another term for villainy.
More than 20 years later, we're now naturally discussing how healthy individualism benefits everyone.
I think all of this ultimately comes down to a change in dynamics.
It's not that things have become more advanced, it's just that individuals have become more powerful.
As the collective system of production groups that operated as a group transformed into an individual-centered platform society, the flow of power suddenly changed before the older generation could even change their thinking.
It's like the smokestack industry transitioning into the IT industry, where the power of each individual has grown.
Therefore, young people feel that anything that limits their prosperity and vitality is 'authoritarian'.
Future nuclear individuals are more likely to perceive the word 'authoritarian' with even greater disgust.
---From Chapter 1, “K is not the Republic of Korea”

In organizations, middle managers are disappearing.
Leading IT service companies are already moving towards eliminating full-time managers.
In the development team, even the team leader codes.
Since collaboration tools manage everything like work progress and schedules, if you take on full-time management, your team members will likely question what you're doing.

“What is your job, Manager?”
“My job is to manage schedules and coordinate work between departments.”
Now, individuals can learn on their own and perform tasks with the help of AI.
And once the organization has normalized the process, it automates it.
That's why the administrator disappears.
So, anyone who defines themselves as a manager is claiming to do something that doesn't exist.
---From Chapter 2, "Co-pilots Don't Leave Work"

There was a time after the 2008 global economic crisis when the entrance exam for a certain large conglomerate was considered a post-CSAT exam.
It was a time when even parents of elementary school students openly said, "I want to raise my children well and send them to work at a large corporation."
Large corporations were the final stage of competition for college graduates and the new educational background.
There was no greater filial piety than having a child enter a large company, and among peers, the phrase, “That friend works at a large company,” was seen as proof of success.
Having experienced two financial crises, we have inevitably been drawn to a stable, one-way future.
Ordinary people, who witnessed their lives fall apart in an instant during the IMF crisis and the global economic crisis, clung to jobs at large corporations that seemed unlikely to go bankrupt even in the face of external shocks.
The moment I got through the fierce tournament and received a business card from a large corporation, I felt like I could have a stable family with a high salary, and live in a protected area for the rest of my life with my employee ID card hanging around my neck like a medal.

But the world changed course in an instant.
The world has changed so that the CSAT is not the final exam, and getting hired at a large company is not the final gateway.

---From Chapter 3, 'Recruitment, Not Recruitment'

In the novel “The Age of the Housemaid,” Korea’s modern and future are marked by repeated conflict and compromise.
The publishing company's staff do not necessarily have to be mothers and fathers.
Perhaps a more experienced and professional colleague would be better.
If a publishing company expands to a larger scale, new employees may be reluctant to join a family-run business.
There are also issues of whether the fairness of hiring has been ensured and whether the compensation for work is appropriate.
But all readers of that novel are relieved and happy.
Because we all know that, as a daughter and not as a CEO, we have no choice but to provide financial support to our mothers and fathers who are not well off financially.
The highlight of this novel is the redefinition of that relationship.
One-sided support for someone who shows no will to become independent makes life difficult for the caregiver.
Parents who take ongoing support for granted create a sense of helplessness in their children.
This fear of helplessness is embodied by Moon Dong-eun's mother in the drama "The Glory," and the social repercussions of this are concretized in the "Amendment to Article 1004 of the Civil Act (Lossession of Inheritance Rights System)" which states that parents who neglect their duty of support should not be able to inherit.
The good custom of mutual aid was a valuable survival method for taking care of one another in times of need.
But even as the economy grows and evolves into a self-sufficient system, a system that still relies on private assistance to care for each person's future creates another problem.
It leaves behind a 'debt of association' that binds us from living our lives fully.
---From Chapter 4, “The End of Filial Piety, the Future of Aging”

The authority of experts in any field is no longer as strong as it once was.
In the past, if you ran to the major leagues, the pinnacle of authority, now it seems you dream of living as a craftsman in an atelier in your own yard.
In his book, To Sell is Human, futurist Daniel Pink declared that all humans must "sell themselves."
So what should we sell? The most competitive product is "narrative."
Each person's narrative is evidence and raw material for authority.

My record, a true accumulation of growth and frustration, is my unique narrative.
Like the rings of a tree, a narrative can never be rushed.
It is made only with time and sincerity.

---From Chapter 5, “The Emergence of the Nuclear Individual”