The Golden Spoons and the “Gabs" - Social Stratification in South Korea

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Source: The Guardian
The expression “born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth” refers to someone born to a wealthy family, possibly leading to more education opportunities, higher income, and a more successful career later in life. The “silver spoon” or “golden spoon” has long been associated with wealth and privilege, and has even come to embody the idea that social and economic class is now almost a genetic trait, insurmountable by one’s effort. In modern-day Korea, this idea of a pre-destined social class haunts those in their 20s and 30s who are through unprecedented competition in college admissions and employment. As a response to such gloomy circumstances, younger generations from families of average to low income with relatively little access to education and other opportunities now identify themselves as “dirt spoons”.

The metaphor of the spoon has greatly appealed to the younger generation, given its sharp satire of modern Korean society. This aligns with the fact that South Korea’s economic inequality has increased, with the top 10% owning 66% of total wealth, while the bottom 50% only owning 2% of total wealth in the country.[1] Such inequality compounded with low growth rates and unemployment have created a hyper-competitive job market, in which those with high qualifications, usually earned through the financial support of their parents, are much more successful. Witnessing such circumstances has deprived the younger generation of the hope that one’s efforts can make a difference in their lives; further enabling them to believe that the financial support of wealthy parents are the direct pathways to their children’ success. Unfortunately, this belief is to a certain degree true, as the recent study of Seoul University Social Welfare Research Center posits a direct relationship between parents’ income and the academic career and income of their children.[2]
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The disapproval of the young towards South Korean society not only comes from the difficulty of seeking employment, but also from incidents in which the wealthy over-wielded their power and wealth, mistreating those from lower socioeconomic class. The Korean expression Gab-jil refers to this very act ("Gab" is a term that refers to a person or entity with more power in a relationship, and the suffix "jil" in Korean comes after a verb to refer to the act in a demeaning way), and has been portrayed in Korean media quite a few times, including the famous “nut rage” incident of Cho Hyun-ah, former Korean Air executive and daughter of Korean Airlines chairman Cho Yang-ho.[3] She demanded that chief steward Park Chang-Jin be removed from the flight after a flight attendant had served her nuts in a bag rather than on a plate. As she wielded her power as an executive to halt an airplane while it was taking off just because of a bag of nuts[4], the South Korean public was enraged - her actions seem to represent the mindset of the wealthy towards general people. This incident has received national and worldwide attention, exposing the reality of social stratification in South Korea.

This frustration among the middle class seem to have found a dark outlet. For instance, the “Department Store Mother and Daughter” incident took place in January 2015, when two customers of Hyundai Department store (a mother and her daughter) had made a parking assistant kneel and ask for forgiveness.[5] Since the parking lot was crowded at the time, the parking assistant asked them to park at another place. Yet, the daughter refused to do so while the parking assistant made a rude gesture out of irritation. Although it may be true that the parking assistant first insulted the customer, the mother and daughter went over the line to make three other assistants kneel and ask for their “mercy.”[6] Yet, this incident reveals an important facet of social stratification: intensification of socioeconomic inequality causes some to grow a strong desire for wealth and authority and thus, a desire to find someone in their own lives to exercise such “authority” over. Service workers have been the target of these incidents given their work ethic of suiting the needs of the customers, and treating them as politely as possible. Violence towards service workers is now exploited by some as an outlet of desire for authority regardless of their socioeconomic status,.

​The metaphor of “dirt spoon,” Cho Hyun-ah’s nut rage incident, and the “Department Store Mother and Daughter” incident all expose us to the uncomfortable reality of modern South Korea. Social stratification is intensifying in South Korea, yielding mainly two responses: satirical self-reflection and a general disapproval of society and a desire for power and wealth expressed through actions such as harassment of service workers. Either way, social stratification is negatively affecting the mindsets of contemporary South Koreans, and inducing conflict among different socioeconomic classes. The emotional antagonism or resentment the public has towards the “wealthy” and “powerful” sometimes acts as a big barrier when implementing certain economic policies, and diminishes the general amount of social trust. Before the South Korean government floods congress with a new set of economic policies and bills to solve the issue of inequality, it seems necessary that the government first address the animosity among different socioeconomic classes.  


References
[1] Cho, Hye Gyung & Yoon, Jung Min & Park, Byung Hyun, “농담인데 불편하네 ‘수저 계급론’,” Joongang Daily, Oct 28, 2015, Accessed Nov 6, 2015, http://news.joins.com/article/18949618
[2] Ibid.
[3] Varandani, Suman, “'Nut Rage' Trial: Korean Air Lines Heiress Cho Hyun-ah Treated Crew ‘Like Feudal Slaves,’” International Business Times, Feb 02, 2015, Accessed Nov 10, 2015, http://www.ibtimes.com/nut-rage-trial-korean-air-lines-heiress-cho-hyun-ah-treated-crew-feudal-slaves-1802198[4] Ibid.
[5] ‘백화점 모녀 갑질 소동’ 전말 밝혀졌다, Seoul Economics, Jan 05, 2015, Accessed Nov 10, 2015,
http://economy.hankooki.com/lpage/society/201501/e20150105163516117920.htm
[6] Ibid.

So Yoon Lee is a freshman at Duke University.