Korean slang profile
마이크로 은퇴
micro retirement
A temporary career break
Taking a period away from work to rest or regroup during a career, with the intention of returning to work.
- Expanded form
- Not documented
- Other spellings
- 마이크로은퇴, 미니 은퇴, 미니은퇴
- Earliest source found
- May 31, 2025
- Documented trend period
- Not verified
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
다음 일을 시작하기 전에 몇 달 동안 마이크로 은퇴를 하며 쉬어 보려고.
I'm thinking of taking a few months off to rest before starting my next job.
- Quoted from a source
‘마이크로 은퇴(Micro Retirement)’가 확산되고 있다.[1]
‘마이크로 은퇴 (Micro Retirement)’ is spreading.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- 2025-05-31The Kyunghyang Shinmun introduced temporary retirement based on the premise of returning to the original job or re-employment through the example of a young office worker taking a break.[1]
03Origin & word formation
A 2025 Kyunghyang Shinmun article describes repeated short retirements during a career. It connects this with Tim Ferriss's 2007 concept of mini-retirements, but the book itself and the earliest use of this name were not checked.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The source supports the meaning and usage context. As it is a single source, the earliest use and route of spread still need checking.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 백수 아닙니다, 전략적 은퇴 중입니다 (경향신문·다음뉴스)Published May 31, 2025Original source checked Nov 6, 2026