| Some aspects of hierarchy-based power dynamics (i.e. bullying and abuse) have been captured into a relatively new, and unique Korean word, "Gapjil" (갑질). Gapjil (Korean: 갑질) is an expression referring to an arrogant and authoritarian attitude or actions of people in South Korea who have positions of power over others. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gapjil) Gapjil is typically used to describe the abusive dynamics of one person above another in a hierarchy but has also been extended to describing the power abuse dynamics of large businesses interacting with smaller ones (e.g. small suppliers). As you mentioned, Korean language and society reflects a "high-context" culture where language itself uses and encodes social hierarchy position through the use of "honorifics," speaking to or addressing to people above by their title/rank or "treatment." "Over 80% of public perceive 'gapjil' problem as serious: survey" (2021)
https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210113000769 The practice was made illegal in South Korea (2019) under its Labor Standard Act (LSA), but the effectiveness of that law has been scrutinized quite a bit, as many surveyed state it remains highly prevalent in the workplace: (Law fails to protect Koreans from workplace bullying)
https://asiatimes.com/2020/01/south-korea-fails-to-stamp-out... |