Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gladiator]

Thought this well-written article hit the nail quite squarely on the head.

Enjoy.

http://www.stanford.edu/~donhkim/es3.html

[Barking Mad Lord Snapcase]

The author makes many good points. However, I wonder how a culture with so much emphasis on hierarchy and seniority would value the concept of equality. There may be a conditional equality, perhaps (based on age or nationality), but even here the rules of seniority come into play (ie. you are "superior" if you are one year older).

I suspect that Korean conformity is defined not so much by equality (which is quantitative) but by "sameness" (which is qualitative). While the Western ideal is to be "equal but different", the Korean ideal seems to be "the same but unequal". The workers obey the boss because he is visible. The boss runs a red light because the inherent danger - and the law itself - are invisible abstractions that do not fit into his worldview. Yet despite allusions to authority or fashionable "rebellion", members of all social strata fail to see outside the tunnel of tradition, no matter how fast they are moving.

[On the other hand]

This guy sounds like an Ayn Rand objectivist dork who's shocked to find a nation even more "collectivist" than his years of reading libertarian newsletters have led him to believe his homeland is. He makes some accurate(if mostly unoriginal) observations, and his tone is generally respectful. But(as he himself admits), there's a lot of generaliztion.

[Gwangjuboy]

[Blind Willie]

To play Devil's Advocate for a second:

Confucian society= Roughly 3000 years and still going.

Rugged American Indvidualism= About 200, forecast looks gloomy.

[ulsanchris]

Some of what this guy said reminded me of the book Korea Unmasked.
He talked about equality in Korea.
In N.A. when we talk about equality we usually mean equality before the law. However here in Korea equality is different. In the Korea Unmasked the author argues that in Korea people aren't trying to get ahead, they are trying not to fall behind. Why do parents send their kids to hogwons? Its not to get ahead. Its so they don't fall behind the neighbours kid. People are only equal if they have the same job, come from the same background, live in the same area, and make the same amount of money. If a person in a group of people suddenly has a better, or worse job, then that person is kicked out of the group.

I agree on the jealousy and pettiness of koreans. Ever hear how korean women talk about famous korean women. They look down on them because they all had plastic surgery or have fake boobs. Yet all of them want to have plastic surgery and fake boobs.
interesting article

[Homer]

Read Korea Unmasked,

It made for an interesting read but was too biased and tilted in my opinion.

Also, people tend to draw just what they want from such books, i.e. they just read them to reinforce pre-conceived notions about a topic or subject.
Then they claim their opinions to be founded on something written.

This book did a great job of doing that.

[indiercj]

I just love everyone who posted on this thread.
Interesting views.
You just keep me coming back.
Thanks.

[dogbert]

[Homer]

[ThisCharmingMan]

[On the other hand]

[ThisCharmingMan]

[Gladiator]

[ulsanchris]

What has confucian societies done lately.
China invented a lot of stuff, but all that was a long time ago. What have they done lately. All the new developments, technology and thinking have come from the west.
One of the basic ideas of confucianism is what worked in the past should work in the future. Its not a philosphy that encourages new thought.

In only reason Asia is modernising is a result of contact with western countries.