

Political, economic elites make Koreans feel more miserable



By Kim Jae-kyoung

"I feel like I have no future. I have been trying hard to find a job but I'm still unemployed. I'm also frustrated by corruption cases involving ranking officials. I just want to leave this country," said a 27-year-old Korean college graduate living in Seoul.

"I love Korea. I'm impressed by Korea's rapid economic achievements and fascinated by hallyu or The Korean Wave. Korea is one of the most attractive countries in the world. I really want to visit Korea," said a Singaporean businesswoman in her late 20s living in Singapore.

These two contrasting views of South Korea show a perception gap between those inside the country and those outside.

A growing number of people outside of Korea, particularly those in Southeast Asia, have very positive views about Korea. They respect and envy Korea's economic achievements and the popularity of Korean culture.

In contrast, many Koreans living here are dissatisfied with their lives even though their living standards have been improving. They call Korea "Hell Joseon," a self-depreciating term used to describe the country as a hell-like place.

Korea is becoming a popular place to visit, yet many Koreans are eager to leave the country.

"Recently, a gap has formed, and the gap is real," a senior consultant at a global consulting firm's Seoul office told The Korea Times, asking not to be named.

"The gap exists because there is a time lag for a country's internal issues and dynamics to become known by the outside, especially for a country like Korea where the international community is rather small," he added. "The gap will not widen as the time lag will lapse eventually."

Perception gap

While people outside of Korea are impressed by the past that many of them seek to emulate for their own country, Koreans are seeing many challenges in their everyday life.

The younger generation here sees limited opportunities to achieve success, a large portion of the elderly segment cannot afford their own retirement, and many people in the middle class feel overworked with no corresponding reward. Raising a child in this environment is less and less of a joyful experience.

"Foreigners have a bird's eye view of the Korean economy, while Koreans at home see everything including the warts in society," said Sohn Sung-won, economics professor at California State University.

Experts say that as the economy has improved, political corruption and skewed income distribution make Koreans feel more depressed than they should be.

According to Transparency International, South Korea ranked 37th in an annual index of corruption perception in 2015, below Singapore at 8 and Japan at 18.

Koreans' anger has recently been growing as a series of corruption cases involving political and economic elites make headlines. Most recently, a top prosecutor was indicted for bribery, an example showing the nation's struggle to control corruption.

"Many people think there are too many economic and political injustices in the country. Korea is a relatively young democracy with a lot of volatility. Foreigners do not see the ongoing political turmoil in Korea while natives see it every day," Sohn said.

"Koreans love politics and news is dominated by political events every day. Economically Korea is a first rate advanced nation, while politically it is a developing nation. To be sure, Korea has problems, but not as bad as the people on the ground think."

Recent data also shows that although Korea's per capita GDP has grown from $20,000 to around $28,000 in the last six years, the median income for Koreans has hardly moved.

This means that for the majority of Koreans, their absolute income level has not changed.

"While the rich are becoming richer and skewing the per capita GDP number, the majority of Koreans are stalled in their income status," said the consultant who has lived in Seoul for more than 20 years.

"This would be less of an issue if people saw attainable personal development opportunities, but those are scarcer and scarcer in a slowing economy, and an economy dominated by only a few constituents," he added. "All of this paints a rather dark future, and creates vicious cycles of dissatisfaction across all social classes."

Hell Joseon?

Most people outside Korea disagree that Korea is a hell-like place, saying that Koreans are too negative about themselves and their country.

"Koreans always talk about how bad the country is. It is ridiculous given Korea's status and reputation in international society. Many problems in Korea are also faced by other advanced countries," a senior editor at a media company in Singapore said on condition of anonymity.

"What's happening is not an isolated problem in Korea. People in Singapore are also feeling more pinched than before," he added. "Koreans should look on the bright side."

Experts say that Korea needs to change many things but its economy will get back on track in the near future.

"I do not buy the Hell Joseon view. Things need to change, but the Korean economy continues to be the envy of the world for good reasons," professor Sohn said.

"Koreans have two key advantages for healthy future growth ― almost a fanatical desire for education as well as the drive Koreans have to achieve something once they set goals," he added.