A Society Awash in Scandal

There's an interesting article in the Toronto Star about Korean culture. Some excerpts:

"And from the upper echelons of the art world to Buddhist temples, South Korean personalities are being ignominiously exposed for having faked their academic credentials.

...

Some blame the tendency to shave corners on a cutthroat mentality that developed in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which shook Koreans' faith in an ever-expanding economy. Others contend that South Korea has never shaken off the mutual back-scratching culture of a small society, where the establishment has tight personal connections forged by blood, school or regional ties.

Some suggest Korean society simply has an unhealthy obsession with success. "Living an ordinary life is not regarded as being successful, and staying still economically is seen as an unbearable retrogression," Kim says. "Korean society demands over-achievement."

Whatever the reason, Koreans picking up a newspaper or turning on TV news these days are confronted with seemingly endless stories of bribery and cheating, influence-peddling and corruption."

If you'll forgive a hung-over and anecdote-fueled rant, well, this is not surprising. I know it's wrong to generalize, and I don't mean to reduce anyone to a stereotype, but...Koreans love to cheat. Some (most) are honest, hard working folks, but I can just tell you from teaching and observing students that cheating is rampant here, and what's astonishing is how much it's tolerated.

Everyone cheats sometimes, and every culture has its cheaters. Koreans just do it more.