Yang Seong-min's 12 Job Quits: A Personal Story

Yang Seong-min, 50, who has a history of quitting jobs 12 times and frequently changing careers, said, "I paid the price of poverty and hardship, but I didn't lose myself." Yang recently published the book 『Insaeng Yeojeon』 (Life's Journey), which chronicles his experiences and reflections from over a decade working in various manual labor jobs.

Yang's past jobs number over 13, including delivery driver, shipyard cargo handler, cemetery groundskeeper, construction worker, power plant maintenance technician, and CNC factory 'button operator.' He is currently employed as a facility manager at a school. He didn't quit impulsively but endured until stress led to insomnia and his right arm became paralyzed to the point he couldn't even start a car. Witnessing news of a shipyard worker found dead in his dorm, Yang felt his own room was no different from the scene depicted, with piles of medicine. He observed laborers depending on alcohol and medication while enduring grueling work for their families, experiences that made him approach marriage cautiously.

His perspective on labor unions also stems from his experiences. While working as a non-regular contractor at a shipyard, Yang recalled discarding union newsletters handed out on his commute, unlike in his past involvement with labor groups. He felt, "These were stories unrelated to me, an outsourced non-regular worker." Yang stated, "They were supervisors and managers before they were union members."

『Insaeng Yeojeon』 is Yang's second book, marking his literary debut after winning the 32nd Jeontaeil Literary Award's reportage category in 2024. He is currently planning his next work, which will explore power dynamics in everyday life, tentatively titled 『Gap Eul Jeon』 (A Story of the Powerful and the Powerless).