When I saw this project’s title, I thought it would be nice if there were no works in the future. Honestly, I didn’t even want to think about anything related to work. For me, work is labour, and labouring is painful.
To Koreans, work is not simply about achieving personal satisfaction or pursuing one’s passions. Work and the workplace are also means of expressing their social status. It is not always about income. Recently, some people who fear the prevalence of materialism say that capitalism is causing problems in our society. However, I think each individual’s desire to succeed and climb higher makes us absorbed in our work.
The idea that it is important to balance work and daily life, where did it come from? Who was the subject who emphasized the importance of working hard before? Could it be the same subject?
Many say the pandemic has enabled new forms of work. It was nice that there was no time to commute to work, but life and work were not efficiently separated, and the working hours felt longer. When the company bought me an ergonomic chair, I felt something was wrong.
South Korea did not close companies during the pandemic, which may be the effect of government subsidies, but many companies remained in the black.
It is clear that the world has changed. But one thing is for sure: we have to live in a world created by generations before us with them. They have created the institution and system of the board of directors as they believe is right and will continue to make efforts to keep it.
My boss often said, “your generation is weak. “
What do you think this is?
It looks like all the people are evacuating because of the flood, but they’re actually heading to work.
1990 Seoul
Our fathers’ generation dedicated their lives to rebuilding society after the war. Because it was the only way to eat and live.
I think the movie “국제시장” depicts the fierce life of that generation by capturing the significant events of Korean history after the war. There is a bit of a pro-conservative slant to it, but I think it helps to understand their lives.
I know I am not qualified to say anything about their lives. I am grateful for their dedicated lives. But sometimes I think it’s too much. We learned the diligence they showed us at home and had to practice it at work.
The problem is that they’ve become our bosses, forcing us to that same standard. Still, we’ve tried to live up to their standards, and we’ve fallen into burnout very often, and it’s been challenging and exhausting, but we’ve done it because we believe we have to. As the generation caught in the middle, as we learned from the previous generation, we must work through the night and watch the MZ generation leave work on time.
We say to ourselves, we’re the last generation to be loyal to the company. And we have to get the job done.
In the article Nationalism, Confucianism, work ethic and industrialization in South Korea. The author concludes that South Korea’s unique blend of nationalism, Confucianism, and work ethic has significantly impacted its economic success. These cultural factors continue to shape the country’s economic and social development. We were taught that work was for us, our families, and our country, and to help society, so we worked hard.
However, the world has changed, and it says that hard work is the problem.
But what’s wrong with being diligent?
The problem in Korean society is that its definition goes beyond working hard with a high work ethic. It is a more inhumane social atmosphere where companies and work must be prioritized over families and individuals.
“Koreans are diligent and sincere”… In the US, this word is not a compliment but racism.
“Koreans are diligent and sincere.” Are these words praising Koreans or belittling them? In the United States, controversy over racial discrimination erupted over a congratulatory remark from a Republican member of Congress to a Korean-American judge nominee.
The Washington Post interpreted that the prejudice that Asian Americans are hardworking is undergoing more and more verification in line with the recent discussion of racial discrimination in American society. The problem of the concept of ‘model minority’ was also pointed out. The model minority is Asian Americans and African Latino Americans; it refers to the perception that they enjoy more professional success than other groups, such as Native Americans.
It sounds like a compliment at first glance, but the prevailing opinion is that there is a problem that causes the division between people of colour while justifying discrimination against non-Asians.
Working hard has become a virtue and our direction at work and everywhere. Sadly, our society has extended these standards to students.
References.
Kim, A. E., & Park, G. (2003). Nationalism, Confucianism, work ethic and industrialization in South Korea. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 33(3), 331-346.