the phenomenon of “pet stones” in vogue among young workers

In South Korea, with fewer and fewer marriages and babies, almost half of adults now live alone. To combat loneliness, there are pets, but the growing trend in the country is the adoption… of a “pet stone”.

As an alternative to cats and dogs, a phenomenon has emerged in South Korea with the aging of the population and the increase in loneliness. This is the “pet stone”, it seems that it is very soothing.

As in all other countries, during the Covid period, many Koreans adopted a pet to counterbalance the isolation. But an animal takes time and money, damages the cushions, and brings various inconveniences. As many young Koreans have extremely long working days, they feel they cannot adequately care for a dog or cat.

“Confidents” for lonely and exhausted workers

In Korea, the legal working time is 40 hours per week, plus 12 hours of overtime allowed. So in total, employees often work 52-hour weeks. To bring comfort to these exhausted workers, companies have started to offer practical and cheap alternatives to pets: these are these pet stones. The companies explain that these stones will always be there to listen to you, if you want to confide. They will never change, they will not grow old. And, they are very clean.

Now, several sellers have specialized, such as the company Chess Peace, which claims to sell 200 stones per month. Many of these are very round pebbles, spotted with gray and white, but it is also possible to adopt an amethyst for example. The stone is delivered with a small white cardboard box decorated with a small black felt roof. It’s my house. There is also a small nest to place the stone near your computer or bedside table.

A pioneer in the United States

The company also offers a small straw hat for the rock. It humanizes him a little. In total, this little beginner’s set costs 13,000 Korean won, or a little less than 9 euros. But you can spend more. People like to decorate their rock with big sticky eyes, a fake mouth or a little green cowboy hat, which costs 990 won, a little less than a euro.

On social media, people are even showing off the little studios they built for their stone in a shoebox. These pet stones are not only found in South Korea. This is where the phenomenon seems most popular at the moment and the local media has taken a lot of interest in the subject. But originally, the first company stones were launched in the United States in the 1970s, by a marketing professional, Gary Dahl. He made his fortune at the time by managing to sell more than a million pet rocks with his company Pet Rock.