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cmxc
Joined: 19 May 2008
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 Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 1:54 pm Post subject: Korea's cultural recipe for failure |
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TLDR: Korea will never have a CREATIVE ECONOMY (it's just a bullshit pipe-dream)
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| When we examine South Korea's organizational ideology and architecture, it's pretty damning and speaks ill to her potential to transition to a "creative economy." |
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However, as we saw in the Sewol Ferry disaster, "growth at any cost" inevitably does have costs that are difficult to accept. Deification of material goods, putting profits before people's welfare, equating net worth with a person's respectability, and turning a blind eye towards anything that might impede a "fast and faster" philosophy of development are symptoms of the ideology that drives South Korean society today.
What about South Korea's organizational architecture? Well, it's one huge, traditional bureaucracy. From the central government to the corporations to schools, it's defined by the following classic recipe for a bureaucracy: "Strategy gets set at the top. Power trickles down. Big leaders appoint little leaders. Individuals compete for promotion. Compensation correlates with rank. Tasks are assigned. Rules proscribe actions. Managers assess performance."
This isn't just the organizational architecture. Combined with the governing ideology, this is South Korea's cultural architecture as well. How we are driven to behave affects how we learn to think and feel; and how we think in such cultural architecture is all about command and control since that's what the system is designed to do and rewards those who do it better than others.
South Korea reinforces this culture through the mandatory military training for all her young men ― who will most likely become the future leaders since South Korea ranked 111th in the world's gender gap index ― through which hierarchical bureaucracies are literally instilled at the point of a gun.
By design, such cultural architecture lacks governance, accountability, and transparency since only the top few are allowed to make any decisions of significance as priests of the ideology and keepers of the bureaucracy. And their natural instincts will be to maintain the status quo by using the bureaucracy to force everyone to conform in order to minimize irregularities, which by another name is called innovation and change.
Worse, such architecture is dehumanizing and disempowering, forcing away imaginative and innovative employees from the organization. And without them, who will drive the "creative economy" that will save South Korea from the future? |
Korea's cultural recipe for failure
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2014/11/352_168168.html |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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| I dunno. Give Korea 50 years to when the population is half of what it is now and we might start to see some innovation. It's either that or the whole place goes down the shitter. |
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Lucas
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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| I dunno. Give Korea 50 years to when the population is half of what it is now and we might start to see some innovation. It's either that or the whole place goes down the shitter. |
Steelrails will still be around to defend it though, and Smithington will have lost all his teeth and be offering gummy BJ's for w10,000 (adjusted for inflation). |
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optik404
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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A bunch of people on the internet that don't innovate or create complaining about other people that don't innovate or create.
GOTCHA! |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 7:17 pm Post subject: Re: Korea's cultural recipe for failure |
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| cmxc wrote: |
| TLDR: Korea will never have a CREATIVE ECONOMY (it's just a bullshit pipe-dream) |
It seems doubtful, but I wouldn't bet the house against Koreans. Countries, including Korea, have a knack to surprise naysayers. Think about it, 30 years ago your parents would have probably laughed until they were out of breath, if you told them Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore would be high-income countries by 2010. |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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| optik404 wrote: |
A bunch of people on the internet that don't innovate or create complaining about other people that don't innovate or create.
GOTCHA! |
I invite you to check out my collection of poorly made indie video games I make under a pseudonym on the side for fun:
http://gamejolt.com/profile/sally/153771/
MONOLITH is a definite highlight. I've made 17 cents through ad-revenue sharing! |
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Lucas
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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I invite you to check out my collection of poorly made indie video games I make under a pseudonym on the side for fun:
http://gamejolt.com/profile/sally/153771/
MONOLITH is a definite highlight. I've made 17 cents through ad-revenue sharing! |
'Sally', I always thought there was something very feminine about you.  |
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Stan Rogers
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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| CMXC why do you have such a hate on for Koreans? Did you get dumped by your Korean girlfriend and your broken heart has led you to dislike all Koreans ever since? |
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cmxc
Joined: 19 May 2008
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 10:00 pm Post subject: I bear no ill will toward Koreans |
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In fact, I bear no ill will toward Koreans. In fact the opposite is the case.
I want Koreans to improve.
I want fewer Koreans to kill themselves.
I want fewer Koreans to feel the need to get plastic surgery.
I want fewer Koreans to commit acts of bribery, embezzlement, fraud, breach of trust, corruption, etc.
I want fewer Koreans to commit acts of plagiarism or other academic fraud.
I want fewer Koreans in positions of power to commit wanton acts of sexual harassment.
I want fewer Korean females to become sex workers.
I want fewer Korean students to drown an icy death so some alcoholic ajoshi can live another day drinking his two dollar national liquor (soju).
I want more Koreans to live safer lives.
I hope Korea and its people achieve their dreams and aspirations, but it is clear that without MASSIVE and FUNDAMENTAL change, this will never happen.
It’s time Koreans stop creating so much misery for themselves and most other people they come into contact with. |
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Cave Dweller
Joined: 17 Aug 2014
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:40 pm Post subject: Re: I bear no ill will toward Koreans |
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$2 for soju? Wow in inflation is hitting hard.
| cmxc wrote: |
In fact, I bear no ill will toward Koreans. In fact the opposite is the case.
I want Koreans to improve.
I want fewer Koreans to kill themselves.
I want fewer Koreans to feel the need to get plastic surgery.
I want fewer Koreans to commit acts of bribery, embezzlement, fraud, breach of trust, corruption, etc.
I want fewer Koreans to commit acts of plagiarism or other academic fraud.
I want fewer Koreans in positions of power to commit wanton acts of sexual harassment.
I want fewer Korean females to become sex workers.
I want fewer Korean students to drown an icy death so some alcoholic ajoshi can live another day drinking his two dollar national liquor (soju).
I want more Koreans to live safer lives.
I hope Korea and its people achieve their dreams and aspirations, but it is clear that without MASSIVE and FUNDAMENTAL change, this will never happen.
It’s time Koreans stop creating so much misery for themselves and most other people they come into contact with. |
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PRagic
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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Read up on Korea's International Science and Business Belt project and the Institute for Basic Science. Korea also has a dedicated Regional Innovation Systems platform for balanced regional development.
The game ain't over yet.... |
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GENO123
Joined: 28 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:56 am Post subject: |
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| Koreans are probably more talented than Americans but that advantage is lost because of the way things are done in South Korea. |
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kingplaya4
Joined: 14 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:43 am Post subject: |
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Granted I don't post much, and I've made some dumb ones over the years but I don't think I've ever made an apologist post. This time though, I have to say its a bit rich for esl teachers who are mainly here due to structural failures in their economy, poor family culture (little help for college/few or no private lessons growing up and little to no starter cash when setting out) as well as less equitable economies to criticize Korea. I'm no engineer, but it does seem Korean companies follow Japan and sometimes the US, but if they can get away with it based on lower price points, more features and here and there even better quality, why not go for it? They have no resources to fall back on, and being the innovator is risky. Of course this won't last forever, but there are a lot of dynamic young people graduating now and who knows if they won't shake things up.
The main thing I criticize Korea about to people I know is how they seem to treat the elderly. The people that helped build the economic miracle should not be struggling to survive on 600,000 a month pensions and collecting cardboard. While the US is, in my opinion too oriented toward the elderly, Korea is too oriented towards the problems the youths have. Maybe I'm missing something, but I bet Koreans would laugh at this thread, and I think they'd be right to do so. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:57 am Post subject: |
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I can understand the U.S. talking about creative products from Silicon valley, but can Canada and Australia say the same? Aren't the vast majority of their wealth based on sale of their natural assets (Australia-mining, Canada-now oil). Canada also had the benefit of the U.S. market being right beside it.
Korea has done very well based on the hard work of it's people and stolen ideas. I think Korea will have a hard time inventing new products, but I think so does Canada. I think foreign people in Korea should think about how well their home countries are doing. Their countries aren't doing much better than Korea. |
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aq8knyus
Joined: 28 Jul 2010
Location: London
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| Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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How do you think the US industrialized and supplanted the then greatest economy in the world?
By 'stealing' their ideas, refining them and then improving upon them to leap frog their rivals.
Granted the sheer size of the US was just as important, but the point is that it is perfectly natural for rivals to 'steal' from the top dog and then use those ideas to first catch up and then get ahead.
Also Korean stregnths may not be found in innovation, but what they lack there they can certainly make up in determination and sheer force of will.
Look at the Korean ship building industry, it went from nothing to global dominance.
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Do you know the story about how 50 cents made possible the world’s No.1 shipbuilding yard? In the early 1970s, the late founder of Hyundai, Jung Ju-young, visited the U.K. to gain investment for starting a Korean shipbuilding industry.
“The poor country of Korea is incapable of developing a shipbuilding industry.”
Due to such pessimistic views of Korea, Jung had a tough time attracting investment. He made one last try at A&P Appledore International, a British shipbuilding company. Its chairman, Longbottom, also rejected Jung’s proposal without a second thought.
In the face of rejection, Jung pulled a 500 won bill from his pocket.
“Korea is the country that built an iron-clad battleship in the 1500s. General Yi Sun-sin invented this ship and defeated the Japanese attacks against the odds.”
“Korea’s shipbuilding technology is over 300 years ahead of Britain’s.”
Impressed with Jung’s ambition, Longbottom decided to make investments. This eventually led Korea to become the global leader in the shipbuilding industry. At first, the international community scoffed at Korea’s attempts to build ships. |
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