Lonely, burned-out South Korean youth find peace, companionship and sanity by keeping stones as pets
- Nation’s exhausted and lonely young find bizarre new ways to stay sane
- Reflects trend across Asia in which people seek solace in inanimate objects
Burned-out youngsters in South Korea are finding comfort and companionship by grooming “pet stones”.
Half of the country’s population live alone and endure some of the longest working hours in the world, hence there is a constant search to find new ways to relax with company.
Bizarrely, these include the staging of mock funerals by lying in coffins and attending an annual Space-out event in which people compete to be the best at doing nothing.
The latest trend, however, takes strangeness to a new level and involves keeping stones which are given names, talked to and clothed as if they are living creatures.
Some owners even place them on a bed and massage them.
In a viral TikTok video, a pet stone is seen being wrapped in a towel, having foundation gently applied, eyebrows attached and given big eyes and lips.