The Korean people had to endure an authoritarian society for a considerable period because of a long history of Confucianism and a 30-year military dictatorship. Perhaps that is why Koreans have an unusually strong sense of equality that leads them to denounce anything that smacks of authoritarianism and privilege among the ruling class.
The problem is that Koreans tend to confuse authority with authoritarianism, which leads them to deprecate proper authority as well. Consequently, many Koreans do not want to show due respect to their superiors, wrongfully believing that this is what equality entails. Generally speaking, equality implies parity in human integrity, not parity in terms of social status or wealth. However, Koreans always seem to mutter at those who are better off than themselves, “Who do you think you are? What makes you better than me?”
When I was appointed President of LTI Korea three years ago, I noticed that the signboard of the LTI Korea building did not bear an English title. LTI Korea was supposed to be an international institution frequented by foreign visitors. If there was no English signboard, how could foreigners find the building that was located in the labyrinthine alleys of Seoul? I instructed the director of management and administration to replace the signboard immediately with a new one bearing both Korean and English titles.
On entering the building, I was at a loss. I could not find my office at first because there was no door with a plate indicating, “Office of the President.” I could not believe my eyes and wondered, “How will a visitor find my office if there’s no title plate on the door?” I instructed the director again to put up a plaque on the door of my office right away. I knew the director would complain about me to the other directors behind my back, whispering, “What an authoritarian man! Former presidents didn’t care about trivial things like signboards or title plates.”
I discovered to my dismay that neither LTI Korea nor its educational branch, the Translation Academy, had a flag. The graduation ceremony of the academy was just around the corner and it occurred to me that it would be bleak and shabby affair without a school flag on the platform. Once again, I called the two directors involved and expressed my concern. They hurriedly went out to manufacture the two flags. Once again, I knew they would whisper, “Such an authoritarian snob! What are these childish flags for?” However, when the two flags arrived and decorated the platform, they gave a nice touch of authority and integrity to LTI Korea and the Translation Academy.
I also found that the Translation Academy did not have a school emblem. Naturally, the Academy’s Diploma and the Certificate of Academic Excellence did not bear the school emblem. Immediately, I had a designer conjure up a charming emblem and began using it on the Academy’s flag, sweatshirts and certificates. The students loved it and were even proud of it. An emblem was a must for a school, and yet I knew my senior staff would complain that I was an authoritarian person who fixated on flashy, flamboyant details such as signboards, title plates, flags and emblems. In fact, I was far from being authoritarian. I just tried to establish the institution’s authority by straightening out things my predecessors had neglected.
At a private company or a public institution, ordinary staff members do not need to get up during business hours when their boss visits them because work is more important than greeting the boss. However, senior staff members should be different. When their boss enters their office, they should show a gesture of respect, especially when their boss is much older. Yet, if I expected such courtesy from my senior staff, they would immediately label me as a dictatorial man. Young Koreans mistakenly think that equality between employees and bosses is a common practice in the West. They are wrong. In Western countries, the staff respects the boss’ authority. When I was in the U.S., I often witnessed a female assistant opening the car door for her male boss.
If people defy their superiors’ authority, the community will eventually fall apart, whether it is a company, a society or a nation. It is deplorable that in today’s Korean society, we no longer seem to respect our superiors and senior citizens and mistake it as social justice. Indeed, we do not want to acknowledge our superiors’ privileges and dismiss older people as if they were useless surplus beings in our society. It does not seem to occur to us that we, too, will become superiors one day and we, too, will grow old eventually.
We should defy authoritarianism, no doubt, but we should not denounce authority. A high-ranking position entails both responsibilities and privileges. Only when we respect their authority and privileges will our leaders assume their responsibilities.
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. ― Ed.
