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pegasus64128
Joined: 20 Aug 2011
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 Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 6:39 pm Post subject: Re: Yes, this has been overdone, yet the question remains... |
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| Stout wrote: |
When, if ever, will the adustments and changes in policy come for the Korean people?
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20111206000744
Multiple surveys have shown that life satisfaction felt by Koreans has remained at relatively low levels despite increases in their income and other achievements.
According to a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on measuring well-being in its 34 member states, only 36 percent of Koreans felt satisfied with their lives, much lower than the OECD average of 59 percent.
Korean households are also under a rising debt burden, with household loans increasing from 797.4 trillion won ($700 billion) last year to 840.9 trillion won in September.
The average annual household income increased by 6.3 percent to slightly over 40 million won from 37 million won over the cited period, with its repayment of the principle and interest jumping by more than 22 percent to 6 million won from 4.8 million won.
�It is becoming really hard to make both ends meet with my salary,� said a 39-year-old company employee surnamed Kim, who borrowed more than 100 million won to buy an apartment early this year.
With less than 1 percent of GDP allocated to family benefits, Korea is the OECD member with the lowest public expenditure on them. Korea is advised by the OECD report to further develop its paid child care system to help working parents with the cost of young children.
In a gloomy reflection of the distress weighing on Koreans, their suicide rate has remained the highest in the developed world since early 2000s. The number of suicides per 100,000 people reached 31 in Korea in 2009, compared to 24.4 in Japan and 21.5 in Hungary, which ranked second and third on the list of OECD members, according to figures compiled from data of the World Health Organization. |
It's all a bit moot and kind of rhetorical questioning. Countries like South Korea and Japan made good by devaluing work standards (no unions, sub standard pay and holidays) to become the successful, thriving economies they are today, to use the cake analogy .. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm guessing those changes will happen about the time people in the US stop their high rates of crime and imprisonment and fighting constant wars. |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:51 pm Post subject: Re: Yes, this has been overdone, yet the question remains... |
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| pegasus64128 wrote: |
It's all a bit moot and kind of rhetorical questioning. Countries like South Korea and Japan made good by devaluing work standards (no unions, sub standard pay and holidays) to become the successful, thriving economies they are today, to use the cake analogy .. |
They achieved this under and extreme amount of social conditioning, too. In both cases, through nationalism and the education system.
One of my Japanese friends told me the whole point of the Japanese education system wasn't to educate children. That was one of the main reasons, but it wasn't the most important one. The main goal of the education system was to teach children how to be Japanese. You could say the same thing about the Korean education system.
Things are changing a lot now and it's not a far stretch to imagine much better working conditions here in the future but if you ask the question: which is more important, quality of live or money? Most Koreans and Japanese and nearly all Chinese would answer "money" without hesitation. Most Westerners would say opposite.
It's changing not but slowly. |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:51 pm Post subject: Re: Yes, this has been overdone, yet the question remains... |
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| pegasus64128 wrote: |
It's all a bit moot and kind of rhetorical questioning. Countries like South Korea and Japan made good by devaluing work standards (no unions, sub standard pay and holidays) to become the successful, thriving economies they are today, to use the cake analogy .. |
They achieved this under and extreme amount of social conditioning, too. In both cases, through nationalism and the education system.
One of my Japanese friends told me the whole point of the Japanese education system wasn't to educate children. That was one of the main reasons, but it wasn't the most important one. The main goal of the education system was to teach children how to be Japanese. You could say the same thing about the Korean education system.
Things are changing a lot now and it's not a far stretch to imagine much better working conditions here in the future but if you ask the question: which is more important, quality of life or money? Most Koreans and Japanese and nearly all Chinese would answer "money" without hesitation. Most Westerners would say opposite.
It is changing now but slowly. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:02 pm Post subject: Re: Yes, this has been overdone, yet the question remains... |
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| myenglishisno wrote: |
Things are changing a lot now and it's not a far stretch to imagine much better working conditions here in the future but if you ask the question: which is more important, quality of life or money? Most Koreans and Japanese and nearly all Chinese would answer "money" without hesitation. Most Westerners would say opposite.
It is changing now but slowly. |
Make westerners hungry, have them stare at subsistence farming or grueling factory labor as their career, and have some "others" roll through their country, bomb it, rule it, and strip it for resources and we'll see how that holds up.
Heck if that what people said (because they've been conditioned not to give an honest answer) matched what they did you wouldn't see so many people here in a country they can't stand and instead be back home cooking frys and enjoying "quality of life". That or calculating a dinner bill down to the last 100 won. |
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DIsbell
Joined: 15 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:46 pm Post subject: Re: Yes, this has been overdone, yet the question remains... |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| myenglishisno wrote: |
Things are changing a lot now and it's not a far stretch to imagine much better working conditions here in the future but if you ask the question: which is more important, quality of life or money? Most Koreans and Japanese and nearly all Chinese would answer "money" without hesitation. Most Westerners would say opposite.
It is changing now but slowly. |
Make westerners hungry, have them stare at subsistence farming or grueling factory labor as their career, and have some "others" roll through their country, bomb it, rule it, and strip it for resources and we'll see how that holds up.
Heck if that what people said (because they've been conditioned not to give an honest answer) matched what they did you wouldn't see so many people here in a country they can't stand and instead be back home cooking frys and enjoying "quality of life". That or calculating a dinner bill down to the last 100 won. |
Germany wasn't exactly a paradise after WWII. Might not be fair to compare them to Korea, but comparing with Japan would seem appropriate. Both were quite industrialized before the war yet were heavily damaged during it, and both received a lot of support via the US. Yet Germany was and is heavily unionized, and they certainly fall into the Western values camp of individual happiness. |
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fermentation
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:12 am Post subject: Re: Yes, this has been overdone, yet the question remains... |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
Make westerners hungry, have them stare at subsistence farming or grueling factory labor as their career, and have some "others" roll through their country, bomb it, rule it, and strip it for resources and we'll see how that holds up.
Heck if that what people said (because they've been conditioned not to give an honest answer) matched what they did you wouldn't see so many people here in a country they can't stand and instead be back home cooking frys and enjoying "quality of life". That or calculating a dinner bill down to the last 100 won. |
Uh..like Europe after two world wars? Or the US after the Great Depression?
What country has not had a difficult past? That sort of reasoning is such a cop out. Regardless of your past we should try to improve our lives are and occasionally stand back and reflect on what we're doing. |
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simpleminds
Joined: 04 May 2006
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| Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 12:10 am Post subject: |
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| LucForsyth wrote: |
If you want to hear a uniquely Korean perspective on the problems with their high stress society, check out this series of interviews I did. Over a few months I asked Koreans of various ages (from high school to retirement) what made life in Korea so stressful. Pretty interesting stuff.
http://lucforsyth.com/category/underpressure/ |
Fascinating link, mate. All foreigners should read it. A friend and I discussed this recently, particularly why girls diet all the time. It's all about control. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 12:49 am Post subject: Re: Yes, this has been overdone, yet the question remains... |
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| fermentation wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
Make westerners hungry, have them stare at subsistence farming or grueling factory labor as their career, and have some "others" roll through their country, bomb it, rule it, and strip it for resources and we'll see how that holds up.
Heck if that what people said (because they've been conditioned not to give an honest answer) matched what they did you wouldn't see so many people here in a country they can't stand and instead be back home cooking frys and enjoying "quality of life". That or calculating a dinner bill down to the last 100 won. |
Uh..like Europe after two world wars? Or the US after the Great Depression?
What country has not had a difficult past? That sort of reasoning is such a cop out. Regardless of your past we should try to improve our lives are and occasionally stand back and reflect on what we're doing. |
Exactly my point. The post-war mentality was certainly different. Look at America in the 50s.
Well, Europeans and Americans post-war and depression were much more concerned about working hard and advancing up the social ladder.
And none of them faced hunger to the degree that the rest of the world was.
But yeah, take a relaxed attitude to money. Works out great for the Philippines. |
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